Sasha, you're probably on the money when you mention getting a second hand board if money is an option. As a beginner bodyboarder you have not yet defined your riding style and you may be wasting your money on a top of the range board.
So, I would recommend if he is after a good deal then go for a good quality second hand board or a well priced performance bodyboard which may not have all the bells and whistles but you'll have a board which will perform to the best of your current ability. It's always important to have good equipment if you are wanting to improve your riding and you've started asking the right questions for your mate - what he now needs to do is ascertain what type of board he wants to ride - I'm assuming since he's just started that it is a prone board he is after, each board has its own shape, some radically different than others and you should be careful with these boards - if you don't know why a particular board has a radically different shape then you should be doing more homework - you may probably be buying the wrong board. e.g. DK boards - a lot of them have very narrow noses, so don't buy it if you're going to want to be riding prone. I do a lot of DK riding and on occasion still like to prone it but DK boards are notoriously rubbish prone boards so if you can afford it, you either have to add a prone or a prone/DK board to your quiver or settle for just the prone/DK board.
So my advice would be to go for a template that pretty much looks like the 'standard' or doesn't deviate too much from that 'standard' which you see on the majority of boards - and then just try work out your preferences - what cores do I prefer, should it have a stringer? What tail suits my riding style? ... rails, rocker etc etc
That's why I suggest a good second hand board - you probably don't know all those answers now - preferably go for the board which you would buy new if money was no option, and then find out if you actually like it. It should last you a good while and by choosing a decent board there should be little difference - at your current ability - at how you would ride on a new board or decent second hand board. By the time it comes to replace it you'll have a better understanding of what baord would suit your riding style and it would now be more worthwhile spending a bit extra on that board that you want.
Always good to understand board design so speak to mates (although watch out - they may not always be right) and do a bit of research yourself.
Just did a quick search on google and came up with the following two pages: (didn't read through the entire articles to check if I rate it but they look like they have the basics going for them which will help you out)
http://www.bodyboardshop.com/boardspec.asp
http://www.omegabodyboards.com/v5/design-nfo.html
Good luck with your hunting!!!
PS - There's nothing going on our For Sale/Wanted section of the forum but you could always submit a "wanted" post - there's plenty of guys with old boards around.
