So I've done a bit of digging based on the feedback that I was getting from this forum and various other web based resources.
I guess I'll start off by saying that the boat does not appear to be in as bad of shape as was originally feared. After learning more about how Souris River makes their boats and consulting Joe Balitch's youtube channel, I was able to figure out that there is no exposed kevlar fabric anywhere on the boat and there is no issues with original construction.
A lot of the imperfections featured in the original pictures were the result of multiple coats of varnish that had oxidized in the sun on account of my not storing it out of the sun / applying UV protector. The black dots appear to be dust that had been caught under the varnish. I looked for evidence of structural weakness and there really isn't any that I can see.
So overall, it looks a lot worse than it actually is.
I'm hoping that sanding it down, washing it and then applying a coat of epoxy will freshen it up. Knowing what I know now, I might have opted for varnish, but the epoxy is already ordered, so I'm gonna use it anyway.
Having said all that, I'm gonna try and document the process and report back as I go along.
Just as an FYI for others who may come looking for information on this in the future, I'm going to post some resources I've found below.
How to Refinish a Souris River Kevlar CanoeJoe Baltich's