At Southern Wake Co., we take a lot of pride in designing parts that fit the ski well and work the way they should in real-world use. Sometimes that means going back to the drawing board after a product is released.
We recently released our Yamaha Jet Blaster Storage Organizer, which included a hidden slot designed to hold an Apple AirTag. After the first organizers made it into customers’ hands, we received feedback that pointed out two areas we wanted to improve: the organizer could rotate inside the glove box, and the fit between the two interlocking plates was tighter than we intended on some units.
Rather than continue selling a product we knew we could improve, we temporarily removed the organizer from our store and went back to the design.
Solving the Rotation Problem
Originally, we actually saw the organizer’s ability to rotate as a feature. By allowing it to move, a rider could reposition the organizer to make room for larger items in the glove box.
In practice, however, customer feedback showed us the downside. When the glove box wasn’t packed full, the organizer could move around and allow stored items to shift with it. What looked useful during development became more of an annoyance in actual use.
We needed a way to lock the organizer in position without permanently attaching it to the ski. It still needed to be easily removable so riders could access the bottom of the glove box.
Our solution? Add a notch.
Using the two factory bolts at the bottom of the glove box, we designed an anti-rotation notch into the bottom of the organizer. The notch captures the existing bolt heads and prevents the organizer from rotating, without requiring any drilling, additional hardware, or permanent modification to the ski.
The organizer can still be lifted straight out whenever you need access underneath it and slides right back into position when reinstalled.
Improving the Plate Fit
The second issue involved the fit between the organizer’s two interlocking plates.
We intentionally designed this connection to be snug. Since the parts are printed from plastic, we wanted to account for some wear over time and avoid creating a connection that would eventually become loose.
The original tolerance, however, turned out to be tighter than necessary. As production increased and the organizer was produced across several of our printers, normal variation between machines made the tight tolerance more noticeable. Some organizers fit together exactly as intended, while others required far too much force.
If you need a hammer to assemble a storage organizer, it’s too tight.
We’ve since adjusted the connection between the two plates to provide more clearance while maintaining a snug fit. The plates can now be assembled and separated by hand while still locking together securely.
Back and Better
With these changes complete, the Yamaha Jet Blaster Storage Organizer is back on our website.
More importantly, we’re not forgetting about the customers who purchased the original version. If you bought one during the initial release, reach out to us and we’ll send you the updated anti-rotation piece to address the rotation issue.
We’re going to continue listening to customer feedback, improving our designs, and supporting the products we put out.
Sometimes fixing a problem just takes a notch.