Viking on the beach…

Yeah, but at least it would keep you onboard, should you lose your balance for any reason.
I mean, c'mon, there must be good reasons why in any boat designed for serious offshore cruising there are high rails everywhere.
The only reason why among SFs there are exceptions is that some of their owners rate form over function, and builders are willing to bend over backwards to please also these buyers - nothing else.

Nothing else? It does remove a maintenance item, both in terms of maintaining the rail itself as well as the fasteners into the vessel structure. Eliminating the bow rail doesn't mean purely form over function. Further, less davit is required to manage a tender mounted up front. Is there a trade off? Yes, but that trade off regarding safety can be navigated.

If not for the buyers and their money, the builders would not be in business.
So, if the owner does not want bow rails, he does not get them.

With this understood, the proud owner must understand that there may be inherent issues in not having a rail.
Some of these could be safety related.
BUT;;; These issues are;; that owners issues, not ours.

You want rails on your boat, order them. That same mfg will be happy to install them.

Lets quibble about red vs black bottom paint and get off of stuff, not really a big woo.

By this rate, just steer clear of boats altogether.
That's the ultimate method to get rid of a maintenance item!

Fad....seems like bow rails have been disappearing for perhaps twenty years. I know everyone sought the Rybo look, or a variant of it.

Pardon me for perhaps being rude to you while you were being perhaps rude to others. Bow rails missing is not a fad. Form over function has debates as well. You like rails. I'm not criticizing you for this preference. Those that prefer not to have rails have plans for how to navigate function.

You seem to imply that going for form over function is somewhat derogatory, but that's not what I meant when I used that expression.
There's plenty of things in life where some people are more attracted by the form rather than the function of anything - even people! - not just boats.
Freedom of choice is a great thing, and there's nothing wrong with it.

That said, if you wish to pretend that a completely unprotected deck on a boat isn't a clear-cut example of form over function, frankly you're making me smile...

Sheesh
Children
What color was that bottom paint again?