My take is that they do not have garages long enough for a traditional bass boat.  These aren't mod-v or deep-v hulls either.  They appear to be pad hulls.  While my 15' Sea Nymph deep-v was perfectly suited for the Great Lakes, even in rough water, these would get eaten up.

Found the site for the Japanese ones. It's http://souther.org/ 

For the bass boat section it's http://souther.org/products/souther450/

 If you use google chrome browser you can translate the site and at least figure out what some of the stuff means. They're super cool, but wow are they pricey. The smallest model is starting around 11-12K going all the way up to 28K. I don't know if that's including any accessories or not. Here's a video of them in action though

 

7 hours ago, WIGuide said:

Found a semi-similar version that's made in MN. It's not the same layout wise, but it's definitely unique.

I must have missed where they mentioned the 9ft rod box in the video

On 9/4/2016 at 8:03 PM, Catt said:

Suzuki, Tohatsu, & Mercury are made by Honda

i dont think that is accurate.  and even it if was, it still doesnt make sense why they'd use merc-branded motors

8 minutes ago, Allen Der said:

i dont think that is accurate.  and even it if was, it still doesnt make sense why they'd use merc-branded motors

It is completely true, Honda makes the outboards & rebrands them Suzuki, Tohatsu, & Mercury.

I came across this while researching 40 HP outboards before I bought my Tohatsu.

If I remember right Honda makes 25-60 HP 

Wow.  That little Bass Bandit is cool!

It looks ridiculous with a tandem axle trailer though. Pointless added cost too.

On September 1, 2016 at 9:47 PM, A-Jay said:

I think that's a really good Idea and seems very applicable for many of the small to medium waters I fish.

I would buy one of those.

A-Jay

 

Me too

 

I think those are a nice alternative to a kayak.  They need to be geared for 1 person with a tiller bench and then all deck space.  Make them aluminum with a tilt trailer with a 9.9 HP.  Make them wide and short so they can fit in any garage.    

3 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

I think those are a nice alternative to a kayak.  They need to be geared for 1 person with a tiller bench and then all deck space.  Make them aluminum with a tilt trailer with a 9.9 HP.  Make them wide and short so they can fit in any garage.    

So, like this:

i definitely want one of those 

Back in the late 60's to early 70's most bass boats were 15' to 16' long. Astroglass and Terry both made 15' bass boats back then.

I have a Trident 175, 17'6" bass boat with 115 Optimax, big enough for 2 to fish comfortably and travel 50 mph if needed, started small and ending with small bass boats.

Cool looking small bass boats for the Japanese market, agree they would sell good here.

Tom

 

They were shorter, and also had a narrow beam.  These seem much wider than boats from the past.

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

They were shorter, and also had a narrow beam.  These seem much wider than boats from the past.

The 80's  14' Terry Craft was 80" wide and rated to 90 hpththe. My 17'6" Trident 175 is 84" wide, very stable and rated to 135 hp. The newer Ranger Z175 is 90" rated for 115 hp. 

Can't determine what length or dim's of the Japanese boats shown?

Tom

Tom, I was thinking of those early tournament boats from the 70s.  There's some pretty cool stuff online, and a guy that actually collects them.

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Tom, I was thinking of those early tournament boats from the 70s.  There's some pretty cool stuff online, and a guy that actually collects them.

Original Skeeter with Marc 35 or 55, very cool with stick steering! My 70's ear Astro Glass had about 72" beam, front livewell and 65hp Merc. Fished lake Mead with that boat, scary ride!

Tom

Wow those old bass boats are cool.  Would be a hoot to buy an old one and restore it back to original condition. 

44 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Tom, I was thinking of those early tournament boats from the 70s.  There's some pretty cool stuff online, and a guy that actually collects them.

Wow. That looks like Herman Munster's bass boat!

It's funny because skinny little single person crafts are becoming all the rage now.  It's like things are coming full circle.

Just now, Tim Kelly said:

Wow. That looks like Herman Munster's bass boat!

Bwahahahaha!

Reminds me of my first Bass Boat a 15 foot Skeeter . I dont have a good photo  of it .

 

 

Those Japanese boats look really neat. I normally fish alone anyhow. Easy for one guy to load and unload. Should tow with a smaller vehicle and better gas mileage. It easily fits in the garage. Being fiberglass it would be heavier than tin, so may handle wind a bit better. The big downside is $$$$$$ and probably limited storage for gear.

On 9/7/2016 at 1:16 PM, J Francho said:

My take is that they do not have garages long enough for a traditional bass boat.  These aren't mod-v or deep-v hulls either.  They appear to be pad hulls.  While my 15' Sea Nymph deep-v was perfectly suited for the Great Lakes, even in rough water, these would get eaten up.

Also: Smaller vehicles and skinny roads.

Not sure if it is still in play, but there used to be a limit on the width of a vehicle in Japan...go over it and you were subject to very heavy annual taxes.