Frederick Bourne Hard, 96, of Stamford, Conn., died July 1 after a brief illness.

Mr. Hard had been for some time at the top of the seniority list of the New York Stock Exchange, having acquired his seat in 1933. During his long career, he served as partner and floor broker for several New York city firms, including Taylor, Smith & Hard, W.R.K. Taylor & Co., McMullen and Hard and finally for H.G. Wellington & Co., Inc. until his retirement.

Born on Oct. 10, 1910 in Sayville, N.Y., he was a son of Anson Wales Hard Jr. and Florence Bourne Hard. Their West Sayville estate, which was a wedding present from Florence's father, Frederick G. Bourne of Oakdale, bordered on Long Island's Great South Bay, where Mr. Hard learned to love everything to do with boats and the bay.

He loved boats and the engines that propelled them, but his favorite of all were sailing vessels of all sizes and types, from dinghies to full-rigged ships. He understood them; he owned many, built some, restored some and sailed and raced some, with particular emphasis on vessels built in the Herreshoff yards.

His house in Edgartown was his base in later years for all those activities, and his mooring in the harbor was hardly ever without a sailing vessel of some kind. A number of those boats still are owned by Vineyard residents.

Mr. Hard's schooling included the Pomfret School, Hun School and University of Virginia, where he was a member of the St. Anthony Society and excelled in boxing.

On Jan. 31, 1933 he married Hildegarde Stevenson, daughter of Joseph H. Stevenson and Hildegarde Kobbé.

He and his wife lived in Bay Shore, N.Y. For many years, he commuted to work at the New York Stock Exchange. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard. By the end of the war, he was in command of a ship in the U.S. Navy.

In 1965, he and his wife moved to Stamford, Conn., and spent summers at their house in Edgartown.

Mr. Hard was predeceased by three brothers, Anson Wales Hard, III, George Wales Hard and William Lawrence Hard; and one sister, Florence H. (Cherie) Hughes.

Survivors include his wife, Hildegarde; a brother, Kenneth Blanchard Hard; three sons, Frederick Bourne Jr. of Wardsboro, Vt., Michael Wales of Tucson, Ariz., and David Francis of Boulder, Colo.; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and many nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces.

His club memberships included the New York Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America, Racquet & Tennis Club and many others over his lifetime. He was also a past member of the Edgartown Yacht Club and the Reading Room in Edgartown.

No funeral service will be held. Instead of a formal memorial service, his relatives and friends are urged to set aside five minutes, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday to remember him as each person feels appropriate.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Long Island Maritime Museum, P.O. Box 184, West Sayville, N.Y. 11796, where Mr. Hard was one of the founders and served on the board of trustees for many years.