Airblown inflatable set up for a boattail

[Cd]

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.

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% .

[Sven7]

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

[Cd]

Originally Posted by Sven7

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

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

[Sven7]

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?

[freebeard]

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:

[aerohead]

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.

[freebeard]

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