Jim,
You have to be more specific about what you have.
Is it a wooden hulled canoe with canvas on the outside or is it a stick frame canoe with only a canvas hull?
The two types have different requirements for recanvasing.
Boats with fabric hulls,like a skin-on-frame kayak, can be covered by anyone who is reasonably handy. Wood and canvas canoes, such as Old Town used to build, require special equipment and several pairs of experienced hands to do the job properly.
Charlie

: My friend has and old canvas canoe his father built. He is in the process of
: restoring it and is looking for a ideas on what to use on the canvas
: before he repaints it. Any input would be welcomed