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Sneakbox
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The workboat sneakbox was later developed into a more extreme racing boat, like every other small boat of that era, so not all sneakboxes are created equal. Or equally cool. The racing sneakboxes are more like enlarged "Melonseeds" than working sneakboxes and seem to sport a gaff rig.The Melonseed, however, is based on a gunning boat described in American Small Sailing Craft. Its lines were found in the files of Forest & Stream but they had never been published. In recent years Melonseeds have developed into a one-design class with more of an emphasis on cruising and "messabout" behavior than racing.
So both these boats are related to the sneakbox, but aren't the actual beast.
Yachting, in about 1927, published a serial called "By Sneakbox to Florida" by F. Slade Dale. He and a companion camp-cruised from New York down the coast. It's interesting as the boats were much like working sneakboxes. Unfortunately, they spent a lot of time running along under power using the newfangled outboard motor. The auxiliary sail rig seems to have been a lateen variant adapted from sailing canoe days.
Early Sneakboxes:
Forest & Stream: sneakbox sketch
Dated Xxx/nn/1874, the first printed description of a sneakbox in the popular boating press that I have been able to locate.
Forest & Stream: Sneakbox
From W.P. Stephens' Canoe and Boat Building for Amateurs.
A description is here.
Forest & Stream: "Barnegat Cruiser"
Developed by Nat Bishop and others as a cruising sneakbox design.
Appears in Canoe and Boat Building for Amateurs.
A description is here.
Forest & Stream's "F&S Cruiser";
Appears in Canoe and Boat Building for Amateurs.
Dixon Kemp's Sneakbox (likely taken from Forest & Stream);
appears in his Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing.
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1.0 03/15/99 ..
