Well, at least he is into acquiring better quality gear for his boat...If I were him and I were serious about getting some crab, I would probably want at least 4 decent pots. It is an investment, but maybe get him one for Christmas, and that will get him started. You can still fish with one just fine, but if you want volume, the more the merrier. A site that my dads friend started, Go2Marine.com sells decent equipment from Trilogy Marine, and McKay Shrimp & Crab. The Trilogy pots are super nice for basic recreational boat hunting, and the McKay's I have never used, but they are a bit cheaper, but I know people who swear by McKay...He wouldn't stock crappy gear anyway, so you should find good info there. The Trils are about 120, and the octagon McKays are in the neighborhood of 80 bucks. Both really nice set-ups. If he ever got serious into crabbing, I can, and do fab. custom traps, and pots for recreational and commercial crabbers alike...Just some food for thought, but check out some stuff on the net, you should find the right gear I'm sure.