bear

A bear is a wooden block, typically rectangular and weighing 8 to 15 pounds, faced with coarse matting or rope yarns. It is dragged across wooden deck planking under the feet or pulled by hand to scour away algae, salt deposits, tar stains, and weathered surface fibers. The friction of the matted surface, combined with seawater or fresh water, wears away contamination without damaging the underlying wood. This tool has been standard in shipyards and aboard vessels for centuries, predating mechanical cleaning systems.

The block itself is usually made from hardwood such as oak or teak, with a flat bottom measuring roughly 12 inches by 6 inches. Coarse coconut fiber matting or tarred rope strands are nailed or bound to the bottom face. Some bears have a rope handle mortised through the top; others are simply kicked or towed by crews working in teams. The size and weight are intentional: heavy enough to exert steady pressure, light enough to be controlled by hand or boot.

Deck scrubbing with a bear was traditionally a daily task aboard wooden ships, performed by crew members working in coordinated strokes, often in rhythm. The tool is still used in wooden boat maintenance and restoration. Variants include the smaller swab bear, which combines bristles with matting for finer work, and bears faced with different abrasive materials suited to various deck finishes. On steel decks, wire-faced bears or mechanical alternatives have largely replaced them, though wooden bears remain preferred for teak and pine.

The term bear likely derives from its roughness and brute scrubbing action, though some sources suggest a connection to older nautical jargon for heavy wooden implements. It is distinct from a swab (which is loose and wet) and a holystone (which is a stone block for the same purpose). In modern shipyard practice, bears are still kept as specialized tools for restoration work and for areas where abrasive machinery cannot reach or might damage the surface.