These drink holders are all designed to mount to a single stainless tube (not a double mount as on a binnacle), most vertically but some on horizontal bars as in the photo (it’s from Snapit! below). Some can be mounted in other ways as well.
There are two things that you need to decide in choosing drink holders:
- What are you going to put in the holder? A water bottle, soda or beer can (with or without a cozie?), coffee mug, sport bottle? They are all different sizes and what will work for one may not work for another.
- Does it need to be gimballed? That is, does it need to stay perfectly upright no matter the conditions?
One thing to know about any of the drink holders in this category is that if you leave them out full time (as we did as we were cruising full time), expect that you’ll have to replace them every few years. The sun will degrade the plastic and our experience was that even stainless attachment “bolts” (I use that term loosely as they’re pretty small) corrode and fail.
Also, while coffee mugs won’t fit in many drink holders, narrow insulated cups (such as my favorites from Thermos — pricey but work great and leak proof) often will. You just need a drink holder that’s deep enough so that the insulated cup won’t tip out.
Water Bottles and Cans without a Cozie
This holder isn’t large enough for sport bottles or can cozies, but it’s a great gimbaled holder for 12-ounce cans and water bottles at a really good price compared to many others. It cannot be used with a mug.
It’s available in a number of colors and all come with several mounting options, including rails. Price varies considerably with color — and be sure to check the shipping cost (if you’re buying several, choosing one with free shipping for orders over $25 is often the best option).
I saw another good option for a rail-mount gimballed holder at the Annapolis Boat show. These are stainless and have insulation built right in, but they won’t hold anything larger than a 12-ounce can and they can’t accommodate mugs. They’ll fit any rail from 7/8″ to 1-1/4″. Very nice looking, I’ve never seen them from another seller:
- Stainless Steel Gimballed Insulated Drink Holder (Update: this product is no longer available.)
Snapit! Drink Holders
Snapit! offers a variety of different drink holders — they’re available at West Marine and they also have their own online store. Most are not gimballed — the double one shown at the top of this article is one of only a few of theirs that swing.
You need to specify the tube size, and they have sizes ranging from 7/8″ to 1-1/4″ including metrics. Some models are fairly expensive, but the basic ones aren’t ($14 plus shipping as I write this). And the basic ones WILL accommodate can cozies, sport bottles and mugs!
- Single can (with cozie) or mug — not gimballed (available only at Snapit!)
They also offer holders that are designed to be attached to horizontal rails and also to angled rails as well as a variety of double holders:
- See all Snapit! drink holders (at Snapit! — WM does not carry the full line)
- Snapit! drink holders at West Marine
Any of the holders with a 3-1/2″ diameter opening can be used with the wine Yoebi to hold wine glasses, too!
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Whether it’s water or something more potent, it’s important to keep your drinks from spilling. Any of these will work well as they attach to the boat. My advice is to stay away from suction cup drink holders — I’ve never found any that work well over the long haul.
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Mid-Life Cruising! says
Great article Carolyn! We don’t have any drink holders on Nirvana and every time we’re on the boat we realize how important they are. We didn’t realize there were so many options.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Lots of other options, too — particularly ones that attach to the binnacle. I’m planning an article (maybe 2?) on some of the other options.
-Carolyn
Elizabeth Newman Revolt on Facebook says
ok, this is what they call Divine Intervention……Yes, I need one of all of them!!!! ha ha…….and I thought I was the winch wench???? hmm….ha ha
Evie Williams says
These are cool, if someone could just create a wine glass that doesn’t spill!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Evie —
Check out the Wine Yoebi — an insert that fits into a drink holder to hold any stemmed glass, and it’s still easy to remove to drink from.
You can see my article on the Yoebi or go straight to the Yoebi site.
Nicola says
I think I may take to enjoying my wine from a sippy cup!
Seriously, I love all of the great tips and product reviews. My very own copy of TBG arrived yesterday and I am so excited to read it!!! Thank you, Carolyn and Jan for sharing your wisdom!!!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Hey, sippy cups are great in the dinghy for a sunset happy hour, as well as anywhere that bugs are a problem. I HATE bugs in my wine!
James Bennett says
Hello Carolyn! Thank you so much for your insights — I appreciate you taking the time to share these very useful resources.