I think that i heard the commentary about the boards, but i took it to mean that the AOI and AOA of the boards doesn't always come out the same in each boat. That would be adjusted in the trunks presumably. Molded carbon boards should all be very similar provided the same lay up is used in each set.
The interesting thing is that they were calling them foilers rather than skimmers, which strictly speaking is what they are.

If you think that a N17 is less stable than a 49er, i would argue with you based on the footage of the finals in the China games, and the fact that the 49ers will flip over if left floating by themselves with the sails up-uncleated.