Sandy, if it were my boat, I think I would want to preserve the bare wood look of the deck as with the original and would coat the bare wood with several coats of penetrating epoxy (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1268&familyName=Smiths+Warm+CPES+Epoxy) followed by varnish. Several years ago I constructed a teak and holly plywood sole for a sailboat using this method. The penetrating epoxy was completely absorbed into the wood, leaving an absolutely waterproof and tough surface for the varnish.