You should try a board whenever possible. I'm a huge Dowdy fan. I've hung out with the guy a few times and prior to having his pro model he rode a Pure, which I loved. I ordered the board based on that, but found it a little slow for me. I ride slow boat speed to begin with, so the combination didn't work well for me. I know others that love the board though.
Board speed is a preference. Some people hate fast boards. It's just a matter of what works for you. Also, some people have thought I was out of my mind for thinking that it was slower.
You might also consider the Twelker board, or my favorite....the Reverb, which I think is the board of all boards