Jake,
I won't speak to details on the new production facility, that is for Nacra to share. No rumor regarding change in board cant or board type for the class. In terms of board position, the choice Nacra went with on the Nacra Mk. 3 isn't so much an innovation as one may think, nor is it a deviation from what has evolved in the class. The Phantom F18 (World Champ 2012) and Scorpion F18 (World Champ 2017) have the boards forward of the shrouds, close to where the current A-Cat board position is relative to the beam. This is the position Nacra are using from what I can tell (or close to it):
http://www.catsailingnews.com/2017/04/f18-worlds-2017-denmark-mitch-booth.htmlhttp://www.catamag.fr/wp-content/uploads/Page-10-V3_3.jpgIf this was slower in a tack for World Champion level sailors at the Worlds, well it didn't seem to impact the results. There are interviews with Martin Fischer and Alex Udin explaining the choice on the Phantom, and they did try further forward than this which did have a negative impact on tacking speed and no additional benefit in a straight line.
With foils, one can go further forward as the extra lift generated by the foil through the tack helps negate the additional moment required as the pivot point shifts forward of the sail plans center of pressure.
