This was essentially a period of slog. A few volunteers attending each weekend, working on cleaning out, preparing and painting engine room and boiler room bilges. The aft saloon ports were removed and the rusting areas around the hull apertures treated and painted. More pumping out of bilges due to rain ingress was necessary. Groups from the Wildernesse School attended on three occasions. Mr. Alan Beavan (British Dredging Co.) was shown round the ship on 24th January. Mr. Beavan was later to serve as Engineering Director of the Trust during the period from 1998 – 2008 when KC was operating on the Medway.
Restoration Log Book – Saturday 31 January 1976
- One attendee.
- Too cold to work.
Restoration Log Book – Saturday 28 February 1976
- Two attendees.
Taken to ship:
- 2 – scrapers and handles
- 1 – 3ft 5/16 whit, 16″ 7/8″ whit and 3ft ½” whit studding
- 1 – 12″ steel rule
- Scrap pieces of 1/8″ and ¼” steel plate
- 1 – ½” BSF die
- 4 – 3/8″ whit deck drawbolts (Job T3)
- 1 – 1½ whit x 8″ bolt
- Job T3 Emergency Drawbolts: Completed and hung on port bunker.
- Bilges: Plates removed for access to stokehold bilges. 2 – 3″ water bailed out. Bilges cleaned as far as possible. Port bunker floor plates taken to aft saloon after removing loose scale.
- Boiler: Some scaling work underneath boiler.