See full version: A Stand for Tired Outboards
This year, I decided something more sophisticated was in order for my faithful motor. I wanted a stand on which it could sit during the winter and when it was being serviced, and that could be folded up and stowed away easily to minimize garage clutter during the summer. here
My first impulse was to buy one, but the prices asked online for a few flimsy-looking bits of bent tubing seemed way out of whack with the quality of the product on offer. Casting an eye around the garage, I spied a length of 2x4 and another of 2x6 pine left over from a home project. An idea formed. One visit to the hardware store and two hours later, the trusty Tohatsu was sitting on its new stand. [links]
For a number of years, I used a piece of 2x4 screwed to the side of the garden shed as a mount for my 3.5hp Tohatsu outboard. It would perch happily thereon while I dangled its nether regions in a cooling tub of fresh water, sputtering and burbling away as the salt got rinsed from its innards. [links]
To cut a long story short: I cut two 2x6 support legs, 36in long, trimmed at a 15-degree angle top and bottom. I cut a 15in length of 2x6 and fastened this between the two support legs, using the galvanized framing brackets. Next I cut two 2x4 legs, each 28in long, trimmed at a 15-degree angle on the bottom. These would be the folding legs.
Re: Need to build outboard motor stand: Any plans, pics, suggestions? here
Re: Need to build outboard motor stand: Any plans, pics, suggestions?
Thanks guys! Appreciate the input..just wish the pic links would work! - If everything goes well, I'll be putting it together tomorrow. <br /><br />I'll have to force myself. colder than a ****ens here. gonna be in the 50's over the daytime. arrgh.
Re: Need to build outboard motor stand: Any plans, pics, suggestions? [links]
Re: Need to build outboard motor stand: Any plans, pics, suggestions?
I am new to the whole boat restoration scene and have found so many helpful tips throughout the web and thought I might be able to contribute also. I couldn?t find any detailed instructions on how to build your own motor stand, but I did find plenty of pictures of stands people had built. This stand is fairly inexpensive and seems to be really strong.
I have decided to put together some detailed information on my o/b motor stand. My hope is that my documentation will help all those DIY newbie?s find some direction for getting started. I am a drafter by trade and just love to draw things in detail. I have included 11x17 prints of my motor stand that include a pictorial view, assembly directions and a parts layout.
I used [4] 2x4x96, [1] 2x6x96, [4] 3in casters (175 lbs capacity), [16] 5/16x1 lag screws and approximately [60] 2 1/2in deck screws. It took me about 3 tries to get one that I really liked and so my prints or of my final product. I have a 1979 Chrysler 55hp O/B sitting on it and my stand seems to be holding up nicely. I really hope all of this helps and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
I made this one by drilling through the tubes and using a plain bolt on each side. That was way more work than the U-bolts.
This walker had two cross bars. There was one across the top that was bolted on. I removed it (you can see the holes in front of the rubber handles). Sometimes the crossbars are riveted on which makes them harder but not impossible to remove. The second cross bar on this walker is low and outside of where I wanted the board so it wasn't in the way.
An old walker makes a great stand for a small outboard motor. You can usually find them for under ten dollars at thrift stores. If you don't see one out on the display floor that is suitable, ask a clerk if they have some in back; they seem to have an endless supply of them. The ones to avoid have cross braces that will get in the way (as you'll see later). You'll also need two U-bolts from a hardware store and an old board. Size of the board isn't critical but it needs to be at least six inches high and long enough to span the walker's legs. The only tools required are a drill and a wrench, although a clamp might be helpful. Measure the diameter of the tube and thickness of the board to be sure your U-bolts are wide and long enough.
Mark where the bolt holes should be and drill them slightly over sized so you have some wiggle room. Fasten the board to the legs and put the motor where the old person normally goes. The walker's legs and the U-bolts are plenty strong to hold a motor up to about ten horsepower.
Notice that this walker has a crossbar that kind of gets in the way when the motor is on the stand. This isn't really a big deal for storing the motor, but if you want to run the motor in a barrel of water while it's on the stand the angle is a problem. more
Here I mounted the board on the other side of the walker to avoid the crossbar. This means you need to lift the motor up and lower it into the enclosed space instead, so think about how heavy your motor is.