Pat,
It's not clear what sort of "restoration" your canoe needs. Does it have cracks, crazing or scratches you are trying to sort out? Or, are you simply trying to restore the paisley pattern to a more shiny appearance.
The paisley pattern (if you plan to keep it) suggests a slightly different approach should be used to fill voids/cracks etc. It suggests that you should be filling those defects with something that sets clear.
If this were my boat, I would first give it a very through cleaning, and then experiment on a very small area to see what can be done to pull the color back up and improve the shine. I'd be tempted to try a buffing compound in a few spots followed by a good quality marine wax. Again, do this in a very small area just to see what the outcome will be. If you like the result (do not expect it to look like new again) then return to the restoration of the damage, whatever that might be. I would use West Systems thickened G-Flex in each of the cracks or gouges. I would apply it in tiny amounts exactly where it needs to be using syringes. What is nice about G-Flex is that it will stay put and fill without the need for opaque fillers. It can be trimmed, sanded, leveled etc. and it cures both hard and flexible. Once it is set, you can wet sand/polish wherever you applied it. It will look a bit shinier than the adjacent areas, but once you buff out the rest of the hull and wax it, these repairs should not be as obvious.
Or......you can sand the entire hull and recoat it with epoxy, paint, whatever... Some folks apply clear varnish to "restore" the appearance. I prefer not to do that since the effort required to bring a good finish to one of these old beasts is rarely worthwhile. It's nearly 55 years old. It deserves to look like it's been around the block a time or two.
Edit: Upon further thought, I neglected to mention a few things. In your cleanup process, do not use any products with silicon in them. Silicon is the enemy when you are working on hull repairs and finishes. Also, be sure to clean any local that you will repair with a product that will both clean and dissipate. I once maintained a fleet of these OT glass canoes. They were used hard and repaired frequently. I went through gallons of acetone doing the repairs.
Finally, if there are breaks that require real repair, post some images so that we can walk through the options.