Scotty 311 Drink Holder, Bulkhead/Gunnel & Rod Post Mount, Black

Scotty's been making rod holders and deck gear out of Sidney, BC for decades, and the 311 is one of those little parts that quietly earns its spot on the boat. It's a drink holder, plain and simple, but the clever bit is that it mounts two completely different ways. You can screw the base straight to a bulkhead or gunnel with the button mount, or you can drop the post into any Scotty rod holder mount you've already got on the boat. Either way your coffee or your cold one stays put and stays within reach.

The button mount is the permanent option. Four screws through the base and it's not going anywhere, which is what you want on a center console or a hardtop where the holder lives in one spot all season. On thin fiberglass we'd run a backing plate behind it, and if you're mounting to a rotomolded kayak hull, fender washers keep the screws from pulling through. The post mount is the flexible option. Because it fits the standard Scotty mount pattern, you can pop it into a rod holder base at the bow, run your lines, then swap the holder over to a base at the transom when you're trolling. One base, two jobs.

It's sized for cans, coffee mugs, and insulated sleeves, so most 12 ounce cans and standard travel mugs drop right in. Bigger 16 ounce insulated cans are a tight fit, so if that's your go-to, know that going in. There's also a small accessory rack molded into the side. It's an easy place to hang a lure you're about to tie on, a pair of pliers, or a leader spool while you're rigging. Little thing, but on a busy deck it keeps sharp hooks out of your lap. On a long trolling day it also gives you somewhere to park a snap swivel or a spare hook so you're not digging through the tackle box every time the pattern changes.

We put these on all kinds of boats. Aluminum jon boats and tiller skiffs where there's no molded cup holder anywhere. Center consoles that came from the factory with one cup holder for a four person crew. Kayaks and canoes where deck space is tight and everything has to earn its mounting screws. If you already run Scotty rod holders, the 311 is close to a no-brainer because it shares the same mounting hardware you've already drilled for. And if you're just starting to build out a boat, it's a cheap, easy first mod that shows you how the whole Scotty mount system works before you commit to a bigger layout.

A couple of honest notes from installs we've done and from anglers who run these hard. On a center console, a bulkhead mount sometimes lands right over a wiring run, so plan the location before you drill or grab an offset bracket to clear it. When the post version is riding in a rod holder at speed, it can rattle a bit. A wrap of foam tape or a single zip tie on the post kills the noise. And if your boat lives outside in strong sun year round, the black plastic will chalk and can get brittle after a few hard seasons, same as any deck plastic. Keep it covered when you can and it'll last a lot longer.

Best part is it's easily removable. Pull the post version out when you're done for the day so it's not flopping around in the garage, or leave the button-mounted one exactly where it is. For the money it's the kind of upgrade you don't think twice about, and it pairs cleanly with the rest of the Scotty deck lineup if you're building out a modular gunnel setup. Simple, useful, and made to take a beating.