I think that the O/P is referring to the short margin poles rather than whips....
for what it's worth as a starter I'd look at summat cheap to see if it's suitable for him... not everyone gets on with poles and there are some basic do's and don'ts...
you can pick up some decent poles to 11 mts for silly money (ie cheap) look for a pole with a spare top 2 or three... I know Dragon Carp are doing an 11mt pole for £55 with 4 spare tops at the mo, so it could be a good taster for not too much cash.
If you are going to fish mainly canals then I'd look at using a lighter elastic... about a size 4-6 hollow set slack, if carp are caught I'd look at a 10-12 set slack also... fishing on canals can be awkward and shipping back fraught with risk from walkers and cyclists...
buy a roller and set it up along the bank to the left or right rather than behind you and when shipping back the pole break down 2 sections at a time if you can......
the trick to pole fishing is to keep everything as smooth and deliberate as possible.... rushing causes tangles and frustration, as has been said keep the line twixt pole and float short, but on running water I'd be inclined to set it a tad longer than 12" as the flow or a windy day can pull the rig out of position... and when the canal is running then you need to follow the current so a bit longer won't hurt...
Pole fishing from a chair is awkward but not impossible, but if you have a box it's a lot easier as you can add a pair of rests to the box legs, and feeding with a catapult at longer distances takes a bit of mastering but it's not too difficult...
there are plenty of rigs in the shops, some cheap and nasty some very good.... I'd avoid the 10 or 15 rigs for a tenner deals, they tend to be rubbish and despite what the labels say are totally useless... go for quality brands or make up your own.. a roller is a must as you don't want to be scraping your carbon pole on a gravel path.. Hope these bit of info help
Tight lines