This build serves for two purposes:
First to fix my trailer that was hit in the boat lot when I was out on the river and to make it easier to store my jet ski under my house. This can also be used for winter storage in a garage to save space.
Your design may be different but for me to accomplish this I bought two 4x6x8’s for the base, 2 4x4’s for the vertical posts, two 2x4’s for the rails, 4 heavy duty casters, 6’ of outdoor mat material, 2 tubes of clear quad, and the appropriate bolts and fasteners. All of the wood used was treated to hold up to the environment in my area.
I started by cutting the 4x6’s into two 5’ pieces and two 3’ pieces. With the scrap piece I laid out where I was going to cut for the overlaps. I measured halfway down or 1-3/4”so that the base will overlap evenly. I then used my circular saw to cut it into smaller pieces and used a chisel to smooth it out.
Once all of the pieces were cut I laid them on the ground and measured from corner to corner to ensure that it was square. Both sides measured 70”. I then got my wheels and marked the mounting holes which will also be the bolts that hold the base together. I used carriage bolts for this part to make a smooth surface on the top. If I did it again I would probably use a standard bolt so that I had something to grab onto. The treated wood was really wet and soft so I had some issues initially. Once the wood dries out and shrinks it won’t be an issue.
I had to buy a longer drill bit because of the distance that I had to go through the 4x6’s. This is something to consider when planning your design. I bought everything at Lowes. The washers were part number 63308, the locking nuts were part number 63405, and the bolts were part number 69521.
For the top rails I had to match the angle to the bottom of my ski. All I did was held a scrap piece to the back of my ski and traced the angle then went to the saw to determine what it was.
For this next part you need to do a little math to determine how long to make the legs. I wanted my cart to be the exact same height as my trailer so my jetski is easy to slide off and on. For mine the legs needed to be 16” from the bottom of the base up to the highest angle point. I cut 6 even pieces for the supports. I then cut a 3 ½” notch so that it can help support the weight and not rely only on the bolts. I don’t remember exactly but I believe I used 3 ½” bolts for this.
The two rails were cut at 49 and then I wrapped them with the outdoor carpet. I got rubber backed material to help prevent any water from deteriorating the wood and carpet. I started the material on the 2x4 in the middle of the long side. Using my staple gun I put a considerable amount of staples to hold it in place. I used quad on all sides of the 2x4 to secure the carpet to the wood. An easy way to get a nice overlapped cut is to use a scrap 2x4 as a straight edge and then use a blade to cut it. Once it was all folded over and stapled into place I ran a line of quad down the seam. This doesn’t really need to look super nice because it will be facing down and you won’t be able to see it. I used 3” deck screws to secure the rails to the rails.
For extra support I added cross braces front and rear to ensure that the rails will be sturdy. I added two eye bolts so that I can strap the cart to my trailer when I am pulling the ski off. This will ensure that the cart doesn’t roll away.
Getting the ski back on the trailer is an easy task. All I have to do is hook the strap on it and crank. It gets a little more difficult the farther up you go so I would recommend wetting your rails so that it slides easily.
Thanks for watching I hope that this video helped you. If you have any questions leave a comment down below or send me a DM on my Instagram. It’s the same as my KZfaq name. Davemedicus