On August 8, 1996, about 1800 eastern daylight time a Stout, Glasair III, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, reported a total loss of engine power, on climbout in the vicinity of Boynton Beach, Florida, and crashed during the forced landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported minor injuries. The flight originated from Palm Beach County Airpark, West Palm Beach, Florida, about 10 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he drained the fuel sumps, and looked at the fuel gauge during the preflight inspection. The fuel gauge indicated a 1/2 tank of fuel. He looked inside the main fuel tank, and could only see dampness with a little fuel visible towards the wing root area. He completed the preflight inspection, started the engine, completed an engine run up and taxied to runway 09 for departure. He took off and was on initial climb out at 4,500 feet when the engine sputtered and quit. He turned the boost pump on, moved the fuel selector from the main tank to the header tank and back to the main tank. An engine restart was not attempted. He notified Palm Beach Approach Control of the emergency, and made a 180-degree turn towards Palm Beach County Airpark. He informed approach that he would not be able to make the airport and made a forced landing to an open field. On final he realized that he was going to land short. The main landing gear collided with bushes, the nose pitched down, and the airplane collided with the terrain in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the crash site revealed no evidence of any fuel leakage, and there was no odor of fuel. The main fuel tank and header fuel tank were empty. There was no evidence of discoloration of the grass or underbrush. Examination of the engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash failure or malfunction.