: Hello everybody in all corners of the World,
: I wonder why some kayaks, esp. the "Greenland" variety, have long
: pointy bows and sterns.
: Do the pointy ends of a boat add anything to improve any aspect of the
: vessel?

Off the top of my head, finer ends on a Greenland qajaq are useful for:

Riding up onto ice and steep stone beaches.

A softer and more forgiving ride in sloppy conditions due to location of flare and wave piercing effects (More plumb bows are good in the slop too - it's just a different ride).

Easier to carry - with heavy mittens! The Inuit could easily add things like perimeter lines and end toggles, but these are hard to manipulate with mittens and can easily freeze up in their conditions making them pretty useless.

Also easier to lift on/off and maneuver around on the racks - so the skins don't rot AND dogs don't eat them!

Easier to skin - with fewer seams - making for safer more robust and more economical construction. Plumb bows on SOF typically require end seams that are under stress, can leak, and can mess up the water flow. My SOF as no seams below the deck - and only one on the deck. A traditional qajaq made of seal skins is similar - with special waterproof stitches to join the skins. Very effective, but you don't want these seams on the ends - and special attention is paid to keep as much as possible on deck rather than hull.

There are likely also some structural/construction benefits to the frame (since it's more inverted pyramid than box) as far as absorbing stresses goes.

QUIETER in waves. This alone justifies them on hunting craft!

Breaks up the visual outline from a seal's point of view - making it look more like the waves/ice/shoreline and less like a threat. There are not many vertical lines in a marine environment and they stick out like sore thumbs.

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You have to look at these kayaks in context. They Inuit are highly innovative and resourceful peoples. Not big on ornamentation - and very careful with use of available resources. Top level design and engineering work. Everything you see is there for functional reasons. The overhangs are beautiful to the eye, but they are not decorative.

Many of these functions also hold value for "modern" kayakers - and so they are found on more sea kayaks than not. I have both types - SOF and commercial kayaks with overhangs - and commercial without (QCC and a Mark 1 Surf Ski) and find both have very good reasons behind their designs.

It's not an either/or thing - and certainly not a "modern" is better thing. It's simply a "how much" of an angle thing based on design intent and use.