: My deck skins aren't under much lateral tension, so that might work. I found
: something similar from Seattle fabrics, but they are too short and are non-
: separating. Who makes / sells the ones you are describing?

I don't know. I have one on a deck bag and I'll look to see if there's any indication of the manufacturer on it.

: I bought a #10
: marine grade plastic non-waterproof zipper that I'm going to test first.
: Steve's suggestion below may be just the ticket.

: I've used lacing before on a couple of kayaks. ( See Pic) Grommets are way
: too slow to lace, and the homemade aluminum speed laces I made were fast
: enough, but over time, protruded into the Velcro flap making for a lumpy
: look.
: Actually, a 2" Velcro flap alone is more than adequate to close a deck
: as little
: tension is actually generated. It's pretty watertight, in all but the most
: severe conditions (rolling).

My main interest in the lacing w/flap idea is that it might allow for tensioning the skin and would separate tensioning and closure functions, permitting the use of a weaker zipper. I wonder if a light coil zipper sealed by rubbing bee's wax on it would work as long as the zipper wasn't under a significant lateral load.

Sorry to harp on skin tension, it's force of habit from building SOFs.

: Thanks for your input.

Goes both ways. I'm being urged to build a couple of folders for a trip to the Shetlands next summer, so I have a vested interest in this.