When I was at that impressionable age of about ten, my mother bought me a thin paperback book that transformed my life. Titled simply "1001 Free Things By Mail", it was filled with listings of catalogs and other giveaways that could be had simply by request.

Armed with a stack of postcards and a roll of stamps, I was changed forever. To this day, I love to get things in the mail— particularly free things— andd that's exactly what I'm going to share with you.

The mail-order business has blossomed in the past few decades, as witnessed by the amount of junk mail that tumbles through our mail slots daily. Yet there among the garbage mail of loan offers, cheap insurance and the ubiquitous Publisher's Clearing House packets, are some wonderful boating catalogs. All you have to know is where to find them. And, of course, you don't need either postcards or stamps, because most of these companies have toll-free 800 numbers so your fingers do the walking.

In researching this article, I not only tracked down a number of mail-order companies who are willing to provide you with free catalogs, but I also made note of how long it takes to get the catalog. Some are unbelievably prompt, others equally slow. If you need to buy something soon, don't count on the leisurely companies.

At the same time, I compiled a shopping list of items that you might be likely to order from some of these mail-order marine hardware stores. From each catalog, I checked the prices of the items and a trend began to appear. As you can see from the chart, no single mail-order source has the best prices. Just as with conventional stores, each has "price leaders" designed to get your order, while other items are more expensive than the competition. The moral here is simple — shop prices between several catalogs before you buy.

As they say, operators are standing by so let's take a look at 31 of the best marine catalogs:

General Marine Catalogs

West Marine (picked up in store): This is the hands-down winner for the catalog that should be on every boater's shelf. At 864 pages, it's the size of a phone book and filled with thousands of items. Extremely useful are no fewer than 91 "West Advisor" editorial sidebars that provide valuable tips and information on everything from electronics to bilge pumps to anchoring techniques. Simply reading through the West Advisors will make you much better informed. Though priced at $5, it comes with a $5 coupon as well as a number of other discount coupons. Broad coverage of power and sail, large and small boats. Very user friendly and lots of color photos, plus an extensive index that includes manufacturer names as well as products. (800) 538-0775.

Defender (15 days): With 371 mostly black and white pages, this is a classic old-style catalog with lots of items per page, a good index, and ample information on each product. Covering all sizes of power and sail boats, it's certainly one of the leading mail-order sources. (800) 435-7180

E&B Marine (15 days): This is the same catalog as West Marine, since the two companies have merged. (800) BOATING.

Overton's (20 days): Magazine-like at 145 pages, this all-color catalog has a pure powerboat focus, with large sections on waterskiing, personal watercraft, fishing, and even such esoterica as kits for boat hoists for your dock. Small index, but not a problem. (800) 334-6541.

Davis Instruments: Browsing this 32-page color catalog, there are so many useful items that you'll probably find several things you'd forgotten you needed. Too eclectic to list, but I'm thinking about one of their weather stations and I still have the Davis plastic sextant ($47) with which I learned celestial navigation. (510) 732-9229

Outer Banks (24 days): OK, fishermen, here's one for you. At 147 pages, the Summer all-color catalog is mostly devoted to fishing: rods, reels, lures, and electronics. Hardly any index (and not well alphabetized), but easy to hunt through for specific products. A few days after the first catalog arrived, a 171 page Master catalog dropped through the mail slot. (800) 682-2225.

Cabela's (14 days): With 176 color pages, this eclectic catalog is light on boating gear (30 pages) and heavy on fishing, covering everything from fly-fishing to downriggers, plus camping gear, clothing, footwear, dog training supplies, black-powder firearms, and optics. (800) 237-4444.

Welcome Aboard (16 days): This newcomer is so full of great gift ideas and useful boating gadgets that I'll bet you can't browse through it without finding several things that are absolute musts. Just 40 color pages, but a lot of clever solutions to boating problems. Keep this catalog around just to solve gift problems for boating friends. (800) 295-2469.

Consumer Marine Electronics (15 days): Though mostly black and white, this 150 page catalog is well-organized and has substantial information on each item. Though the emphasis is on electronics, there is also coverage of fishing gear, compasses, and safety equipment such as first aid kits and survival suits. (800) 332-2628.

Skipper Marine Electronics (35 days): This 110 page color catalog is devoted to nothing but electronics, and it has a number of editorial sections that provide useful information on selecting the right equipment. Frustrating, however, was their common use of "Call For Price Quote" rather than listing prices. When I did call to see what happened, I received a high-pressure approach to ordering because the price "would be increasing soon". Skipper rates each piece of equipment on a six point scale from "adequate" to "extraordinary", but most of the equipment is on the higher rated end of their scale and only one item out of a multitude of listings was noted as "adequate". (800) 754-7737.

Special Interest

Sailrite (8 days): If you can sew on a button, you can make anything from Bimini tops to complete boat covers using the items in this 63-page color catalog. Sailrite has been around for 27 years, providing everything from heavy-duty sewing machines to fabrics, not to mention complete kits for Bimini tops, awnings, cockpit enclosures and even duffel bags. (800) 348-2769.

Murray Brothers (42 days): Hallelujah! I think this 67-page all-color catalog must be a fisherman's heaven, because it shows off their exquisite fighting chairs and rocket launchers, as well as custom rods, an incredible selection of lures and lines, a full array of clothing, and lots of great fishing gift items. (800) 845-3474.

Ski Limited Watersports (18 days): The title tells it all: if there's a watersport, it's in this 112-page color catalog. Skis, water toys, personal watercraft gear, clothing, and even trailer accessories. (800) 477-4040.

Edson International (12 days): This 96-page color catalog devotes considerable space to the well-known Edson steering systems for sailboats and larger powerboats, but there are sections on davits and dinghy handling equipment, plus some useful items that solve common problems. (508) 995-9711

Bart's Watersports (12 days): Light on actual boating equipment, but very strong on every possible water toy: skiing, PWCs, kneeboarding,etc. No index, but a great "close-out" section with big discounts. (800) 348-5016.

Strictly PWC

Dennis Kirk Watercraft Catalog (18 days): The 156 color pages cover an incredible array of gear a personal watercraft owner might need, from hop-up kits to helmets, accessories to clothing, covers to storage racks. No general boating gear here, but very comprehensive PWC coverage. (800) 328-9280.

R&D Hyperformance Catalog (2 days): If you want to squeeze a few more mph out of your personal watercraft, here's where you start. This 20-page color catalog has just about every possible speed device for all types of PWCs: reed valves, exhaust systems, streamlined grates and more. (562) 906-1190

Outdoors

Camping World (15 days): Lots of RV supplies here, but you'll find some useful trailer equipment as well as other items that can be adapted to your boat. (800) 626-5944.

Camper's Choice (27 days): This isn't pup tent territory — most of the items in this 74-page color catalog are aimed at RVs and trailers, but there are lots of goodies like 12-volt appliances and books for trailerboaters. (800) 833-6713.

Sportsman's Guide (28 days): With 72 color pages, this is as close to a military surplus store as you'll find these days. Lots of gear for hunters and fishermen, but the weird stuff is fun, too. How about a genuine Browning .50 caliber machine gun from Korea, East German military clothing, or a camouflaged parachute? (800) 888-5222.

Campmor (7 days): This 200 page black and white catalog is the compact size of a Reader's Digest, but it's crammed with everything a serious outdoorsman might want. Not for the RV or motorhome, this is serious hiking and camping gear from tents to backpacks. (800) 525-4784.

Non-Boating, But Fun

Lighthouse Depot (27 days): Called "the most complete selection of lighthouse memorabilia ever assembled," I can't argue the point. The 48 color pages are filled with everything from lighthouse models to lighthouse nightshirts, plus books, posters, collectibles, jewelry, and much more. (800) 758-1444.

Craftsman Tools (picked up in store): Hey, how can you not have a Sears tool catalog if you call yourself a boater? The 156 color pages are filled with enough luscious tools to make even the worst klutz want to work on the boat. (800) 377-7414.

Garrett Wade Tools (36 days): These are the Rolls-Royce of tools for serious woodworkers, and just browsing the 79 beautiful color pages of this catalog is enough to make you want to turn a plank into shavings. (800) 221-2942.

Woodcraft (6 days): Strong on woodworking tools, but tinkerers will love the array of kits for everything from wooden pens to grandfather clocks in this 150-page color catalog. (800) 535-4482

L.L. Bean (21 days): Most famous for their clothing, this 127 page color catalog is also loaded with camping gear, footwear, fly fishing items, luggage, kayaks, canoes, and much more. All understated, as you'd expect from a company based in Maine. (800) 221-4221.