Creating a stiff, upright, almost dragon-shaped tail? (For Andalite Fursuit)

This is my first time posting here, apologies if I do anything wrong!
Currently, my next fursuit project is going to be an Andalite from Animorphs. I've been doing fine, but, my biggest snag I've hit in the road has to be the tail.
I have examples beyond the cut.
I've been considering carving it out of a pool noodle, as I've seen that method used. However, my main concern with it is it sagging. The tail is supposed to be kept above ground and relatively curved and flexed. The tail itself is rather long, and tapers to a point much like a dragon's tail.
Judging by the examples, how would I execute this? I'm not sure if the pool noodle method will work, and I have worries with carving it out of foam due to weight problems.