Deep V or not, a 18 foot boat is not for big water. Try to find a boat that has either a Yamaha or Szuki four smoke hanging of the back. If you want one out of aluminimum make sure its of the elder sort.

Define big water? Lake of the Woods is only a million acres, spent most of my life on it in an 18 foot or less. Sure there will be days when a bigger boat is necessary but if it's too rough for an 18-foot pro v or a warrior I don't much want to be out there anyhow.

Scott, it's a seller's market right now, 8 grand isn't a very big budget. Decent boats can be purchased for that size and horsepower will be limited unless you are willing to purchase something that is 15 to 20 years old.

Craigslist and FB marketplace is as good as anywhere to start. At least that way you can get an idea of what is out there and price range.

One more thing. Buy the boat with your head and not your heart. be objective on what you want and do not get side tracked. I have fixed plenty of boats for folks that got this part wrong and bought junk because of a single nice feature that clouded their mind and ended up costing them more than they bargained for.