Airblown inflatable set up for a boattail
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEu3yO9-zQ8

I've seen the posts here over the years regarding inflatable boattails, and i just wanted to mention what i think we all have seen on the holidays these days - inflatable yard art.
I set these up at work and i noticed that the power draw isn't very great.
The ones the size of the one in this video have a dual prong outlet and a small blower the size of your palm.

The blower is on constantly, so there is a steady stream of air, and therefore a hole in the thing will not be a problem.

While i still think that an inflatable pointed thing that pops out of your trunk limp, and suddenly inflates to an erect position would be .....er .....oh nevermind. :eek:

Well, perhaps one of you guys may find a use for this sort of blower, so i thought i would post it.

DO NOT buy one of these now. Wait till after the holidays for the price to go down as much as 75% -80% .

I have doubts about its rigidity... unless it gets really excited.

In all seriousness, the things are quite rigid when ...uh ....erect. :D
You can punch one of the things and it bounces right back.

I just wonder how rigid it'll be once you blow on it hard.

For serious, 60mph winds across it... won't you need some extra structure?

Sven7 -- No. Read Frei Otto. The pneumatic tire is the only structure that can handle the abuse of road contact. Your car wouldn't work nearly as well with solid rubber or Moon-buggy spring steel tires.

The referenced inflatable runs on 110v AC. A boat-tail would be a simpler structure, but could be made out of tougher, puncture-proof material. A properly-sized hole is necessary for correct function.

But since we are snickering, I'll just leave this here:
http://i.imgur.com/VDbz2.jpg

fan
 

I used a 12-VDC ventilation fan out of a VW Westfalia Campmobile for the T-100 inflatable.It provided an acceptable 'blue pill' effect for the envelope.Not the rapid deployment as with 'YES MEN' #1,but took very little time.
You won't want to use a 'flexible' fabric,as it won't allow for critical dimensions once inflated (don't use expandable Naugahyde).
And a lower spar may be necessary to dampen vertical oscillations(which I did encounter).
Otherwise,along with a 1/2-tonneau and a cargo box in the bed,the truck was good for 30-mpg.

Deployment time could be minimized with an accumulator tank.

Inflatables can be single-walled, with a pressurize interior; or double-walled, with ambient pressure interior.

As an alternative, consider the Hoberman Sphere
http://i.imgur.com/0R8DE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/05BBv.jpg