Trolling Motor Stand Project

Last night I finished up a small project that was quick and easy.  After seeing some outboard motor stands, I decided that I needed something similar for my trolling motors and batteries.  I had been leaning the motors against different things in the garage but they always seemed to slide off whatever they were leaning on and fall on the ground.  I was also storing my batteries on shelves that would sag a little from the weight of the batteries.  I conducted a Google image search on some DIY motor stands and used some scrap 2 X 4's to create my stand.  If you want to tackle a project like this, I thought some pointers might help and alleviate some frustration on your end.

For Starters

I estimated how much room I was going to need for three trolling motors, two batteries, and a battery charger.  The width of the stand was based on this estimation.  I then estimated the height that the stand needed to be based on the distance from the motor to the mounting bracket of the motors.  I didn't take exact measurements because this thing only had to serve a couple of basic purposes.

Next

I then added a couple of braces to support the weight of the three motors.  I cut them to 45 degrees and screwed them to the vertical pieces.  I left the other ends alone but cut them so they just barely touched the frame at the bottom.  I figured that would take some of the pressure off the vertical pieces in case they leaned one way or the other.  If I wanted to get technical, I would have cut the bottom of the braces at an angle to fit flush against the frame but I didn't see a necessity for that.  That is also code for "I didn't know if I had the geometry skills for that nor the desire to devote to such an undertaking."  I also threw in a couple of 2 X 4's on the opposite side to hold the batteries and charger.  I also hoped that these would help square things up and add to the overall structural integrity of the stand.  

Two Hiccups Had to be Addressed

So, I thought I was done but noticed an obvious sway in the stand when the trolling motors were attached.  It took me a minute to figure out how to fix this, but then I remembered what I had to do to a deck one time to remedy the same problem.  I also realized that I wanted to be able to easily move this stand around.  To address this, I put a caster on each corner and now it moves with ease.

Problem Fixed!  Done and done!

I found another scrap 2 X 4 and attached it to the vertical pieces but did so at an angle.  I don't know what the angle was, nor do I care, but it fixed the sway.  While I am not an engineer or anything, I think this problem arose because everything was vertical and horizontal which led to other angles not being addressed.  The angled piece stopped all sway and this project was done!  I hope this helps if you decide to tackle a similar project for a similar purpose!  Have a great weekend and get out on the water.  You can almost sense that our days of good fishing and great weather are drawing to an end for the year in many parts!