"Pointer boats were unique. Not only were they as sturdy as the East Coast fishing dory, but they could carry eight men while floating in only five inches of water. Empty, a pointer with a dead weight of half a ton or more drew only one and a half inches of water. Even though the boats ranged in length from 22–50 feet, to turn one end-for-end needed only one pull on an oar. Because the boat was double-ended (identical bow and stern), workers could focus on the task at hand rather than on which way the boat was facing."

​-Wikipedia