About glue - I am certainly no artist nor perfectionist but I have used yellow glue on 7 strip built canoes and kayaks, starting over 30 years ago, (all are still in service) and have never noticed any problem with the glue deteriorating or discoloring.

Strongback - I guess it may depend on how you built your strongback. After stripping the hull I cradle the hull using the strongback as a support/tool shelf. The strongback allows me to support the hull in several places. Without it I would still need to use saw horses or some other support so I would not see any space savings. Besides, my strongback is on wheels so I can re-postion my work in my small shop.