: I'm thinking of removing the glass from my kayak's exterior and
: re-glassing it.

I recently stripped the glass off my Petrel because the stain was fading badly and accumulated abuse was taking its toll. A day with a heat gun pretty much blistered off the glass. I then sanded with 36 grit to remove the residual epoxy and then with 60 grit to get rid of the gravel scratches from the 36 grit. Splashed another coat of stain on, reglassed, sanded slapped 3 coats of varnish on in a day and the boat is ready to go again. Video at 11:00 - or whenever I get around to editing it - probably months from now.

There is really nothing to be done about fading or darkening. I find dark WRC gets lighter where most other woods get darker. Stain may give you a little more time at color but even they will change over time with sun exposure. I kept my Petrel outside far too long and the original deep cordovan mahogany color got a lot lighter. My solution is better undercover storage.