What are the best wine glasses for your boat? That’s a hard one . . . what’s perfect for me may be all wrong for you. So I’ll first discuss several considerations, then discuss the pros and cons of specific wine glasses. Unfortunately, I haven’t found the glass that meets all the criteria for use on a boat, so you’ll have to decide your priorities to pick “the perfect boat wine glass.”
Considerations for Boat Wine Glasses
The look and feel of the glass are always important. But being on a boat adds a few other considerations. Are they likely to tip over? if they tip or fall, will they break?Depending on your location, there may be other factors such as the ability to keep bugs out of the wine.
One problem with traditionally-shaped wine glasses — that is, glasses with stems — is that they don’t fit into drink holders. Or maybe I should say that drink holders don’t keep them from tipping. There is, however, a drink holder insert designed for stemmed wine glasses (see photo below) that does prevent tipping. So before we review glasses, let’s look at a holder that will keep any wine glass you choose safe.
Wine Glass Holders

If you like to drink wine from a traditional wine glass, the Yoebi solves the problem of tipping wine glasses, spilled wine, and broken glasses on your boat. It’s also great for martini glasses, brandy snifters, and other stemware.
On Amazon, you can find two type of Yoebi inserts. One is mounted on a cup you can slip into a cup holder. The other clips into a cup holder with plastic “legs.” They both fit any standard 3-1/2″ drink holder (if a regular foam can Koozie nicely fits in the drink holder, it’s the right size for the Yoebi).
The Yoebi website also has a flat, table mounted holder that you attach to your vessel with Command removable adhesive strips on the bottom for semi-permanent mounting.
If you get the table mount style, I’d suggest getting some extra Command strips (Amazon). They’re cheap and can be easily removed without damage to the surface, so you can move the drink holders if you want to.
Wine Glass Options for a Boat
Cruising boaters probably have as many opinions about wine glasses as about anchors. So rather than give you one best wine glass for a boat, here are some “mini reviews” to help you find the best option for you.
You’ll probably laugh at some — a sippy cup? really? — but each makes sense in certain circumstances. In making these recommendations, I’ve tried to keep affordability in mind. But I also know that everyone has a different idea of how much they’re willing to spend. And some options (such as stainless steel wine glasses) simply do cost more.
Here are my choices, with “glass” glasses first, followed by less breakable options: plastic and stainless.
Traditional Glass Wine Glasses with Stems
I like a traditionally-shaped glass wine glass and opted for Vikko’s 8.5 ounce wine glasses (Amazon). They work for either red or white wine. They do come in larger sizes, but after Dave and I started putting on some weight, we decided a smaller glass was a better choice. And it meant our wine stores lasted a bit longer.
Being glass, they are breakable. But the glass is heavy enough — particularly in the stem, the most vulnerable spot — that they are less likely to break than many other glass glasses. They are also less top-heavy than many wine glasses, making them less tippy.
While they have a nice look and feel, the primary disadvantages are the fact that stemmed glasses just can’t be put into most drink holders (but see the Yoebi above), making them more likely to tip or fall, and the fact that if they do fall, they’re glass — if one breaks and you’re barefoot, be careful! The corresponding advantage is that since they’re a footed glass, they hang nicely from overhead glass racks.
Vikko wine glasses are sold in a 6-pack. They also come in an 11.5 and 15 ounce size. But, as I said above, we found it healthier and economical to have smaller glasses on board.
Best for boats that often entertain at the dock or in very calm anchorages, and who want a traditional wine glass look and feel.
Spillproof Crystal Wine Glasses with Stems
Royal Stabilis makes real true crystal wine glasses that “stick” to a magnetic stainless steel tray (430 ferritic stainless steel). The glasses each have a small but very strong magnet centered in the base under the stem. The metal base plate is a magnetic stainless 8″ by 8″ square — it’s heavy enough to resist moving, plus has non-slip silicone pads on the underside as well.
These glasses and magnetic board are a really well-thought-out way to have very nice wine glasses on a boat. No, they are not cheap — crystal isn’t. For that reason, I know they won’t appeal to everyone. But for those who do want crystal, these are much more boat-friendly than conventional crystal stemware.
How They Work

Set the magnetic board on any flat surface, and then you can set the glasses down on it without worrying about them tipping over and breaking in what I’d call normal conditions. I’ve tilted the magnetic base up to about 20 degrees to simulate a bad waking and the glasses don’t move — at a higher angle, they will start to slide but have not broken free of the base plate.
To lift a glass off the magnetic board, hold the glass by the stem and not by the bowl. You can either tilt the glass or slide across the base plate to the edge.
Our Experience
How well do they really work? Our experience with them was good — no broken glasses. The glasses stayed right where they should when in use, and we never spilled a drop. Not only do the magnetic bases protect against waves and wakes, but they also protect against accidental bumps — something that we seem to be prone to, either bumping the table or reaching for an appetizer and nudging a glass.
The glasses are only sold on Amazon. Unfortunately, their availability is hit or miss.
Stemless Glass Wine Glasses
Stemless wine glasses seem like such a great idea for using on a boat. But there are a couple of things to be aware of. First, many don’t fit in a standard size drink holder (3-1/2″). And many don’t really have good gripping areas — which can be a problem if the boat suddenly rolls.
The Libbey Vina Stemless 17-Ounce White Wine Glasses (Amazon) aren’t perfect, but they are a good choice for boat use if you want a “real glass” stemless wine glass. They will fit in most drink holders (the ones designated as “red wine” glasses won’t) and since they are a little smaller in diameter, they are easier to grip.
They are also thicker than some other wine glasses, so they are less likely to break. But they’re still not heavy glass and thus it’s likely that you’ll have some breakage over the years. Another “disadvantage” (depending on your viewpoint) is that they are large and it’s easy to fill them fuller than you intend.
Sold in a box of four.
Other Stemless Glass Options
Another option used by many boaters for “wine glasses” are actually juice glasses. Admittedly, they don’t have the traditional tulip wine glass shape, which bothers some purists, but they overcome several of the other problems. Juice glasses will almost always fit in standard drink holders (and have heavier bases so they’re less likely to tip even on a table), and most have some design features that make them easier to grip. They are also usually made of heavier glass than “wine glasses” and thus are less likely to break. Typically, they hold 6 to 7 ounces.
Juice glasses that I like for use as stemless wine glasses:
- Bormioli Rocco Galassia Tumbler Juice Glasses (sold in boxes of 6). They are a smaller size than a traditional wine glass, but a similar shape. The pattern in the base makes them easy to hold with a finger under the bottom.
- Bormioli Rocco Rock Bar Stackable Juice Glasses (also sold in boxes of 6). These should fit in any drink holder (even “smallish” ones) and are very easy to grip. They’re also heavier glass than almost anything else I’ve found. No one will mistake them for fine crystal, but for everyday use on a boat, they can be a good option.
Plastic Stemless Wine Glasses
If you don’t mind drinking wine from plastic cups, you have several good options to consider.
Strahl
Strahl makes 8 oz. unbreakable stemless glasses, with a 2.75-inch diameter — so they’ll fit in a drink holder. They are made of polycarbonate with a thick base to reduce tippy-ness. They come in sets of 4.
Strahl also makes 13 oz. Strahl Osteria Stemless Glasses (set of 12) (Amazon), with a diameter just over 3 inches.
GSI
The camping gear company, GSI, also sells plastic 14.7 ounce stemless glasses for red wine (Amazon) and 11. 5 ounce glasses white wine (Amazon). The current version are different from those I tried several years ago. They no longer have a divot for a finger now, for instance. But they are designed to return to their base without tipping over, which is a nice feature.
Govino Flexible Wine Glasses
Finally, Govino makes flexible wine glasses (Amazon) that hold 16 ounces. They sell in packs of 4 and 8. They get mixed reviews from cruisers I know. Some love them. Others hate them. GoVino glasses are basically a clear plastic cup shaped like a stemless wine glass. The material is more like a Red Solo Cup than anything else — sort of flexible but not “squishy” like silicone. They’re not brittle like the typical clear plastic disposable glass.
Pros
- Shatterproof and pretty much unbreakable — in other words, good around bare feet.
- Shaped like a wine glass.
- Fit into most drink holders.
- Thumb indentation is brilliant so the glasses don’t slip from your hand.
- Store easily.
- Very lightweight if you’re concerned with weight on the boat. But it also means they’ll blow away in the wind when empty or close to it.
- Easy to slip into a day pack for a beach party.
- Not horribly expensive for a set of 4.
Cons
- They’re not really expensive, but they seem expensive for what they are.
- Start looking “tired” fairly soon, although they are still serviceable.
- Some people think they feel like you’re still drinking wine out of a Solo cup (I agree with this one, but it doesn’t really bother me)
Other Plastic Options
If you’ve ever been in a rolly anchorage, tried to take your regular wine glasses for a sunset dinghy ride or been where bugs keep getting into your wine, then you’ll appreciate this idea–a sippy cup.
The Contigo Autoseal Kids Cups (14 ounce) are actually an improvement on a sippy cup. You press the button to drink and when you release it, it seals. Totally spill-proof and leak-proof if it tips over. Plastic so it won’t break. And small enough to fit in almost any drink holder, at just over 3″. Okay, so it may not be traditional, and it may not be fancy, but it is useful in addition to your “real” wine glasses. Sold in sets of 2 at Amazon. (Note: they also make larger sizes good for other drinks that you need to protect from insects.)
Another “sippy cup” option — designed specifically for wine — are the Vino2Go glasses.
Basically, they’re an acrylic wine glass inside a acrylic tumbler with a sippy cup lid. They’ll fit in a standard drink holder and hold 6 ounces of wine. And while not a crystal wine glass, it does look like a wine glass and not a toddler’s cup!
A couple of notes. Be careful putting the lid on. It can leak if you’re not careful And, unlike kids cups, it’s not spill proof. So you can’t just toss it in a day bag and expect to find the wind still inside.
The lid is, however, great at keeping bugs out.
Acrylic doesn’t break easily. But it’s not totally unbreakable. It will scratch over time. And don’t wash acrylic in hot water. That’s what causes it to crack and craze.
They are still noisy underway. So store them with a fuzzy hair tie or two around them, both to keep them from clanking and to keep them from getting scratched.
Finally, some reviewers have talked about poor quality or being very brittle and breaking easily, while others have been very satisfied. I’m not sure if different batches are different quality or simply different perceptions. I bought a two-pack of these as a gift for a friend (the 2-packs are significantly less expensive than buying individually) and thought that they were reasonably good quality and would last at least as well as other acrylic glasses that I’ve had. No, they’re not going to be mistaken for fine crystal or last forever.
GSI also makes a stemmed, plastic wine glass (Amazon) that is stackable. The stems clip onto the bowl for easy storage. I have no direct experience with them, however.
Stainless Wine Glasses
Some people like stainless wine glasses; some don’t. They are almost impossible to break, but some just don’t like drinking wine from metal. And if you’re drinking chilled white wine in a hot locale, they’ll sweat a lot. But as an alternative to glass, they’re prettier than the other options.
That said, these Stainless Wine Glasses can be a good choice for your boat and they are quite a bit cheaper than some of the other stainless wine glasses available and are sold in sets of 2.
Cruiser’s Suggestions for Wine Glasses for a Boat
Finally, there are several options I’ve never tried for wine. But other cruisers have found them a good option for boat life.
Leigh Ann likes the 12 oz Tervis tumblers. “Keeps wine the correct temp, fits mostly in our cupholders and even with chilled wines, no condensation!” And they’re available everywhere in the U.S. that boaters congregate as well as on Amazon.
Cruiser Winnie likes stacking acrylic wine glasses by Crate & Barrel. You can find some that are similar on Amazon.
Chris G. finds Zarcor drink holders a good option. There are now some interesting other options for drink holders on Amazon including one for strollers that looks like it could be clamped onto stainless tubing.
Allan swears by silicone wine glasses (Amazon). And Tami recommends stemless glasses with a silicone sleeve (Amazon). They allow the mouth feel of glass while providing a little protection breakage.
So there are quite a few options for you to consider. What kind of wine glasses do you find best when living on a boat? Shout at us in the comments.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
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