What is it?

The Brolly Mate is a hands-free attachment that slides over the tiller bar of a canal boat or narrowboat. The tubes are made from powder coated mild steel. Your umbrella slots in to the top of the upright tube and is secured by a small thumb screw. It’s easy to fit and easy to add the umbrella if you’re caught in a sudden downpour. It will then keep your hands free so that you can keep one hand on the tiller and another on your hot mug of tea!

What our experts thought

I wanted one of these for years and finally picked one up at the Crick Boat Show 2012. You may remember that Diamond Jubilee weekend , it was absolutely pouring with rain and so it was the perfect time to discover an umbrella-related gadget! We have found it strong enough to hold a golf umbrella and living aboard in the somewhat rainy English climate we have had plenty of opportunities to use it!

Benefits

These are not uncommon on the Grand Union canal, I’ve seen many a boater use them in the rain. However, they are equally as useful to shade you from the sun in the summer. If you have a cruiser deck it may also create a nice shaded area for relaxing with a cool drink after you have moored up.

A Brolly Mate can also be used to hold a small rotary washing line. On a narrowboat where space is at a premium this is a really nifty idea. You can peg your laundry out to dry at the stern while you may perhaps be sitting at the other end of the boat in the well deck.

Summary

I love this versatile gadget and wish we’d got one sooner.

Where to get one

It’s the kind of thing you might find in your local chandlery, but online they are available at Miracle Leisure Products. They also appear on eBay from time to time. It is available in four sizes and prices start at £18.

Image credit: © Miracle Leisure Products

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