Hi.... as you can imagine, there are quite a few steps to getting a canoe restored. The good news is that none of them are particularly difficult and all of them are well within the capabilities of any reasonably handy person.
As a starting place, you might want to consider buying at least one and possibly two books. This site has a store where you can get your own copies of the Wood and Canvas Canoe, the book many of us referred to years ago.
https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/the-wood-canvas-canoe-a-complete-guide
You can also buy yourself a copy of This Old Canoe, a newer guide that may provide additional insight.
https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/this-old-canoe-how-to-restore-your-wood-canvas-canoe
Materials can be ordered from a number of places. This Suppliers and Builders Guide, can be your guide.
https://www.woodencanoe.org/builders-suppliers
You might notice the authors of one of the books are listed as suppliers. They sell the bits you will need. Tools, tacks, ribs, planking, canvas.....
It can be helpful to learn the process from someone else although many of us did it on our own. The WCHA may have a local chapter you can get help from. Check here:
https://www.woodencanoe.org/chapters
If that were my canoe, I would be starting out by stripping the old varnish and then figuring out if the stems are good enough to hold tacks. Stripping is a bit of a process that will require stripper, time, TSP, possibly a bleach and sanding, lot's of sanding. A restoration includes many hours of sanding.
If the stems are punky or very split, you will need to make a decision about how to proceed. Your canoe looks pretty good, so you might get by with repairing the stems with some toothpicks and G-Flex epoxy. If the stems are bad, they are often patched (spliced) or replaced. It does not look like you need to do that. Some folks might bond a strip of fresh wood over the face of the stem so that everything comes out as new.
You will need to re-clench (tighten) all of the tacks in your hull, at least if you don't want them to bulge out of your fresh canvas later. While you do this and the stripping, you will figure out if there are other ribs that need to be repaired or replaced. A repair can (sometimes) be done by leaving the rib in the canoe and removing the planking from the outside to get access to the back of the rib. Once the back is exposed, you can patch the rib with a mortised piece of cedar that you G-Flex in place. Search for backside repair and you will find lots of discussion. The rib in your image looks like one that should be replaced...after you carefully pull the tacks, you can remove it and make a new one to fit into it's place. You will need cedar, tacks, a steamer and a few clamps to replace the ribs. To get a fit, you bend the steamed rib on the outside of the canoe two ribs (usually) down from where the rib needs to go. That two rib down thing will account for it needing to go inside the hull and also take the thickness of the planking into consideration. Once you have it formed, you can force it into place and tack it in. It's actually pretty easy. You can either buy a pre-shaped rib, or make your own. A decent table saw can build most of a canoe. Rip the thickness, cut the tapers and then round over the edges with a router.
You might want to replace some planking. If you do, steam (a wet rag and an iron) can help for the more challenging boards. Just keep in mind to allow at least three or four ribs of separation between joints...it's like laying block. You don't want the joints to line up.
You will probably treat the outside wood with something before you canvas. Some use thinned varnish. Others use tun oil. I use warm mix of boiled linseed oil, turpentine and mineral spirits. I always varnish the inside of the boat before I apply it so that the bleed through does not discolor the inside of the hull after you spent so much time getting it cleaned up.
You will deal with the seats, thwarts etc. . Canvasing is more daunting to consider than to actually do. Buy a treated canvas, make your stretchers, pull it tight and tack away. Once that canvas is on, you will fill and paint. You will be making outside rails. Once you have filled and painted you will fit those...
You get the idea. There are a lot of steps. The good thing is you have covered working space so you can take your time and do all of the necessary pontification.
There are many threads on this forum where folks have documented a restoration. Search around and you should find a great deal of information. Don't be shy. Ask for help if you need it. Some of the most experienced restorers and builders frequent this site and offer advice....
Do you know who built your canoe? From the images, it's hard to tell.
Mike
