I can't address your questions regarding repair, but can offer a couple of thoughts. Were I looking into buying a used Ultra, I'd give the hull a thorough visual and tactile inspection. With the latter, I would use a light micro-fiber wash cloth under the finger tips to search for dents.

As for damage incurred during remount, if you are reasonably fit I do not think it a significant issue. If you use what they call here the straddle method, the only problem would be the pounding of your feet on the after deck. Perfect your remount in smooth water, and have a patient, deliberate, and calm mentality if you have to remount in the rough.

The Ultra boats may be light but they are tough.  A friend has had a V10L Ultra for over a year and it has hardly a ding in it.  He has remounted it many times in varying conditions and remounting has never caused damage.

So I'd not be worried at all about damage just from remounting.

I'd like to hear your comments after your paddle. I have just taken delivery of a brand new Epic V10Sport Ultra and I am very impressed with the build quality, the weight and the ride. It is a real pleasure to handle on and off the water.

Although it feels strong I am very concious about not denting it, not from remounting but from knocking against other boats and rocks. The boat has warnings stuck on to it about taking extra care and the Epic site has this disclaimer on the Utra's.

Ultra Disclaimer
 A NOTE ABOUT EPIC'S ULTRA KAYAKS:

Epic Kayaks is committed to manufacturing the finest kayaks available, using only the highest quality materials.  Our Ultra boats are exceptionally light and require more care when handling.

Avoid direct impact with hard objects such as rocks, which can dent and/or delaminate the lightweight honeycomb core.

Do not tie this boat directly onto hard metal racks.  Appropriately shaped saddles or padding are required to eliminate stress concentrations when transporting these boats.

 
Happy paddling!

I have a 20mm X 3mm dent incurred during a split-second moments inattention while offloading. Made me sick, sick, sick. Have been keeping an eye on it, and after lots of hard paddling, there are still no visible cracks in the gelcoat. The surrounding area of the hull still feels solid.

Rob dont you own a carbon mako 6 at the moment? If so would you seriously get of that onto the sport

In the V10 Sport Ultra I have found a boat that is close to perfect for me. My priorities at the moment are safety, fun, comfort and speed in that order. I was expecting safety and comfort from the V10 Sport which it delivers in buckets. I hoped it would be fun and it really is, I was grinning from ear to ear and making whoop whoop sounds yesterday.

But what really blew me away is the speed, to give you an idea my best time for a Miller's Run is 54 mins which was done on a Mako6 in perfect conditions at my peak fitness. Yesterday I did 56 mins in the V10S in mild conditions without trying and after having paddled only 4 times in the last 6 months due to family commitments. I don't know how I managed that time because I only have the fitness to catch a fraction of the runs.

In this boat with some training I think I will comfortably break 50 mins. For me the V10S is the most under-rated boat on the market. And I haven't even mentioned the weight and quality of the Ultra which are superb. (if you can afford the Ultra it is a must).

When conditions are right we'll put Rob in the V10S Ultra and watch him set his new Millers best.

For big downwind conditions the V10 is obviously a brilliant design, but for its intended purposes the Sport is basically in the same league. Much of the stability of the Sport derives from the 19" wide aft section behind the seat. If you study the hull profile of this section from the waterline to the deck, the hull begins to gracefully flare (out) and gain width from just below the waterline carrying through right to the deck line. This flared shape starts at the hump between the footwells and the bucket, and extends all the way to the stern. Maximum beam is attained at the deck line.

Although the Sport has decent primary stability, its main strength is its secondary stability, which is tremendous, and derives from this wide flared hull shape. I may be wrong, but I think good secondary stability is most critical in big downwind conditions where aggressive paddling is required for gaining bursts of speed while surfing down and through swells, in order to continue linking into the bumps forming up ahead.

Having the stability to deliver 5 or 6 fast strokes while angling down a long steep face, can make all the difference between hopping over to the next bump or not. Sometimes at the top of a crest when you are just about to take off on a big drop, the hole in front of you might offer the option of a bigger or better swell to the left or right, and a burst of speed is needed to get the boat pointed over to the right direction. Basically, the Sport helps an intermediate paddler to paddle more aggressively in precarious situations.

Lastly, the Sport is 19" wide and is often compared to other skis that are 19" wide. I'm going to say that the Sport does not act like most 19" skis, because most of its beam is carried above the waterline, and up near the deck.