I built this stripper canoe back in 1995 and she's in for some refinishing.  I started out building strippers back in the '80's because that is the first canoe building info that I could get.  It wasn't long before I was convinced that I preferred to paint the exterior for both aesthetic reasons as well as practical.  You can refinish a painted finish and have it look great, but a beat up varnished finish will never look great again.