Historical sneakboxs

C

CaptBobKeeney

New member
Hello Group just wanted to introduce myself my names Bob Keeney and I am a New Jersey waterfowl historian and sneakbox builder/restoration & show one of the 14 historical gunning box’s that I use. This is a 1955 Harland Price of Parkertown NJ Inboard/Sailing Sneakbox. Harland Built 7 of these sneakboxs and only 2 remain in original design and operational. It originally was built with a 3hp Briggs & Stratton. When i restored the box i put a 3hp Honda. The motor is air cooled and rope and tiller steering. It is 13ft long and 4 1/2ft wide. I use it every opening and closing day of costal season
 

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That is a really cool boat! Love to hear and see more on the inboard setup and design!
How’s the draft, sitting and underway? I assume she’s a displacement hull?
 
CaptBobKeeney said:
Hello Group just wanted to introduce myself my names Bob Keeney and I am a New Jersey waterfowl historian and sneakbox builder/restoration & show one of the 14 historical gunning box’s that I use. This is a 1955 Harland Price of Parkertown NJ Inboard/Sailing Sneakbox. Harland Built 7 of these sneakboxs and only 2 remain in original design and operational. It originally was built with a 3hp Briggs & Stratton. When i restored the box i put a 3hp Honda. The motor is air cooled and rope and tiller steering. It is 13ft long and 4 1/2ft wide. I use it every opening and closing day of costal season
Click to expand...
Welcome Bobby, I think you'll like it here!
 
Great write up and photos. I've toyed with the idea of an inboard BBSB forever, but never find the time. Very interesting to see that it can work.
 
CaptBobKeeney said:
Hello Group just wanted to introduce myself my names Bob Keeney and I am a New Jersey waterfowl historian and sneakbox builder/restoration & show one of the 14 historical gunning box’s that I use. This is a 1955 Harland Price of Parkertown NJ Inboard/Sailing Sneakbox. Harland Built 7 of these sneakboxs and only 2 remain in original design and operational. It originally was built with a 3hp Briggs & Stratton. When i restored the box i put a 3hp Honda. The motor is air cooled and rope and tiller steering. It is 13ft long and 4 1/2ft wide. I use it every opening and closing day of costal season
Click to expand...
Good morning, Capt. Bob~

Glad to have you here! I am a Long Island boy ('though I now live up in the dairy country of upstate New York's Washington County) and share a long interest in duckboat history, building and restoration. Your joining is timely because I just got back from Tuckerton and enjoyed seeing many Sneakboxes and other traditional gunning vessels. I brought this quasi-Sneakbox to the Show:

sm CAIRD - to Tuckerton - stbd bow quater.JPG

As you can see, she does not have the Barnegat's spoon bow. A friend and I built her 30+ years ago and I just restored her. She is 12'2" LOA with a beam of 4'9". You can probably gather that we shoot her over the stern. Which brings me to the question I had meant to ask Jode Hillman and other Sneakbox experts when I was down in Jersey last weekend:

Are most Barnegat Bay Sneakboxes gunned over the bow or stern? My understanding is that the traditional sailing/rowing boxes were gunned over the bow - with the gunner's boots beneath the foredeck. However, as modern times have moved these vessels toward outboard power, it seems that many (?) are hunted with the gunner's feet beneath the afterdeck instead. BTW: We have seen a similar evolution on Long Island. Even among my own boats, I built my first 2 to be hunted over the bow - but more recent ones over the stern - even though all were outboard-powered.

I welcome everyone's thoughts on this - and look forward to your continuing contributions.

BTW: I plan to restore this Barnegat in time for next year's Tuckerton Show.

sm BBSB 49 Stbd bow quarter.JPG

Her maker is unknown - even after consulting numerous experts at Tuckerton when I got here a few years ago. Most agreed she was likely built in the '50s. She is approximately the classic 12' LOA by 4' beam.

sm BBSB 45 Side view.JPG

Clearly a displacement hull. I plan to run a vintage 3 hp Ducktwin on her.

sm BBSB 46 Bow on.JPG

All the best,

SJS
 
CaptBobKeeney said:
Hello Group just wanted to introduce myself my names Bob Keeney and I am a New Jersey waterfowl historian and sneakbox builder/restoration & show one of the 14 historical gunning box’s that I use. This is a 1955 Harland Price of Parkertown NJ Inboard/Sailing Sneakbox. Harland Built 7 of these sneakboxs and only 2 remain in original design and operational. It originally was built with a 3hp Briggs & Stratton. When i restored the box i put a 3hp Honda. The motor is air cooled and rope and tiller steering. It is 13ft long and 4 1/2ft wide. I use it every opening and closing day of costal season
Click to expand...
Welcome to the site. Great looking boat. Did you make your own sail?

Rick Lathrop
 
Bob

Thanks for coming aboard. I think you'll find a lot of interesting things show up here on a regular basis and a talented group of duck hunters who help each other out. Looking forward to seeing more posts from you.
 
Carl said:
That is a really cool boat! Love to hear and see more on the inboard setup and design!
How’s the draft, sitting and underway? I assume she’s a displacement hull?
Click to expand...
Hey Carl I will post more of the set up the boat drafts 6 inches and is a displacement hull and goes about 4 to 5 Mph underway
 
Steve Sanford said:
Good morning, Capt. Bob~

Glad to have you here! I am a Long Island boy ('though I now live up in the dairy country of upstate New York's Washington County) and share a long interest in duckboat history, building and restoration. Your joining is timely because I just got back from Tuckerton and enjoyed seeing many Sneakboxes and other traditional gunning vessels. I brought this quasi-Sneakbox to the Show:

View attachment 59145

As you can see, she does not have the Barnegat's spoon bow. A friend and I built her 30+ years ago and I just restored her. She is 12'2" LOA with a beam of 4'9". You can probably gather that we shoot her over the stern. Which brings me to the question I had meant to ask Jode Hillman and other Sneakbox experts when I was down in Jersey last weekend:

Are most Barnegat Bay Sneakboxes gunned over the bow or stern? My understanding is that the traditional sailing/rowing boxes were gunned over the bow - with the gunner's boots beneath the foredeck. However, as modern times have moved these vessels toward outboard power, it seems that many (?) are hunted with the gunner's feet beneath the afterdeck instead. BTW: We have seen a similar evolution on Long Island. Even among my own boats, I built my first 2 to be hunted over the bow - but more recent ones over the stern - even though all were outboard-powered.

I welcome everyone's thoughts on this - and look forward to your continuing contributions.

BTW: I plan to restore this Barnegat in time for next year's Tuckerton Show.

View attachment 59146

Her maker is unknown - even after consulting numerous experts at Tuckerton when I got here a few years ago. Most agreed she was likely built in the '50s. She is approximately the classic 12' LOA by 4' beam.

View attachment 59147

Clearly a displacement hull. I plan to run a vintage 3 hp Ducktwin on her.

View attachment 59148

All the best,

SJS
Click to expand...
Hey Steve, I saw the boat you brought to the show and have boats there every year. Throughout the history of Gunning barnegat bay the gunners have always gunned over the stern with the bow into to marsh. Not to say in the market hunting days when the had punt guns tied into the mast step of the sneakbox here’s a picture from 1918 with gunners hunting over the stern with the bow in the marsh/ice in surf city nj
 

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CaptBobKeeney said:
Hey Steve, I saw the boat you brought to the show and have boats there every year. Throughout the history of Gunning barnegat bay the gunners have always gunned over the stern with the bow into to marsh. Not to say in the market hunting days when the had punt guns tied into the mast step of the sneakbox here’s a picture from 1918 with gunners hunting over the stern with the bow in the marsh/ice in surf city nj
Click to expand...
Bob,

You raise an interesting question. Prior to advent of automobiles where sneakboxes owned by clubs and used by members or public coming out of the cities? I don't imagine hunters coming from outside the bay owned and shipped their own sneakboxes in by rail.

Rick Lathrop
 
Richard Lathrop said:
Bob,

You raise an interesting question. Prior to advent of automobiles where sneakboxes owned by clubs and used by members or public coming out of the cities? I don't imagine hunters coming from outside the bay owned and shipped their own sneakboxes in by rail.

Rick Lathrop
Click to expand...
Rick, prior to the car sneakboxs were shipped buy rails to clubs thought state of NJ but most were owned by gunning clubs an gunning club members kept there box’s at the clubs and paid the guide for repair work etc. local gunners kept their sneakboxs right on the marsh for mooring with their decoys in the boats well. Here in Tuckerton that practice was done up into the late 1960s. Until thefts began happening
 
CaptBobKeeney said:
Rick, prior to the car sneakboxs were shipped buy rails to clubs thought state of NJ but most were owned by gunning clubs an gunning club members kept there box’s at the clubs and paid the guide for repair work etc. local gunners kept their sneakboxs right on the marsh for mooring with their decoys in the boats well. Here in Tuckerton that practice was done up into the late 1960s. Until thefts began happening
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information.

Rick
 
Bobby welcome to the site! It's about time!!!! You're going to love it here, quite the valuable resource and a cast of characters you simply won't find anywhere else....

Steve- You're going to run an ole' Duck-twin on her! Love this idea!

Looking forward to the updates
 
Anthony~

Yes. I'm thinking the DuckTwin is a good match for her displacement hull. And, a dozen Herter's Model Canada Blacks and Mallards to honor the period.

This will be my Summer '25 project. She needs new decks - for which I have the needed Tuckerton Jersey Cedar. I will think long and hard about how I walk the line between true restoration and adding some Sanford features....

Stay tuned!

SJS
 
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