Not frost scraped, though I usually have perfect conditions. Clean skin, hoop or board, then I use a garden trowel sharpened on the edge to scrape out liquid oils. I don’t frost scrape because I try to leave as little scent as possible around camp that will attract bears and I know I wouldn’t be able to catch all the shavings. My hoops will only stretch up to a 68” beaver so I have 1 board for larger ones. Notice it is in 2 pieces so I can take it apart and store in the cache off season . Golf Ball - I like that idea of using a shop vac to suck up some of the water off a wet beaver.

What weight Beaver would stretch beyond 32" ? I got a 60lb beaver last year, but never stretched it.

A 60 lb beaver would probably bump up to the edge on the sides of a 32 inch wide board. If you use the pattern it makes it a little longer than a perfect oval. It will fit ok on a 32 by 48.

Even though I flesh on a beam I still “ milk” the hide with a one handed scraper after it is boarded, it will give you the clean look Boco is talking about, some beaver have more grease in the hide than others, I do board a little damp sometimes, they dry fine for me, I never raise the beavers on the nails, my humidity is very low in my shop though.

...partner dying a Beaver

I use a air compressor on most water caught fur. You can get right down to the roots and a muskrat will be dry In seconds. Coon take a bit longer.

For the most part I don't leave my beaver laying around to dry the fur I leave them lay because of the bleeding issues on fresh caught beaver.

1 5/8" sheet rock nails are thin and sharp.

I like # 10penny nails. I want a long nail so I'm not smashing fingers.

Two inch box nails are great as they are thinner than most other nails and have heads on them thus are much easier to hammer in and remove compared to other nails.

There is no reason to board any beaver larger than the XXL-XXXl size line, That is the largest grade size.You wont get any more money for it no matter how far over that size you can pull it,lol.It will still be lotted into the XXL- XXXL size. Just not enough of them to make graded lots on their own..
The only exception was if you got a beaver so large that the skin would actually fold over(not just sag) unless pulled bigger,which I doubt would ever happen.