Kayak Theft Protection ideas

This was posted on Craigslist on 6/26.

This part is interesting - "I didn't have the serial numbers of the kayaks or my drivers license number etched on the boats, the police couldn't let me just take the boats despite custom details that I could point to on the boats and my photo."

Sure we can put theft protection devices, but a determined thief can figure a way around this.
I registered my Revo with Hobie after I bought it.  Is it a good idea to use a small paint brush and paint your drivers license inside?
Ideas and opinions are welcome.


Recovered Ocean Kayaks FYI - $1 (sausalito)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa/1812120342.html

I had two Ocean Kayak "Scupper Pro TW" sit on top kayaks stolen from the dingy rack at basin 4 in Clipper yacht harbor in Sausalito, on Sunday, June 20th. The chain was evidently cut. I filed a police report and handed out some flyers with a recent photo of the kids on both kayaks at Ayala Cove. On a heads up from the staff at Sea Trek Kayak rentals in Sausalito (Thank you Mitch, a great company) I saw an add on craigslist in the Sacramento area that had been posted Friday around 1:00 (since deleted). Two Scupper pros for sale, one of which looked like one of mine. I drove up that evening to Sacramento with a friend from my dive club (Thank you Curt, long drive). Sure enough there were my two kayaks and two more scupper pros for sale. I talked to the guy and told him two of them were mine and the police were called. He wasn't hostile, actually cooperative and pleasant and just seemed disgusted with the whole thing. On the phone he had told me that he was out of work and needed to sell his kayaks. Now he said that he had gotten them from a guy who claimed that he was liquidating a kayak rental business. Because I didn't have the serial numbers of the kayaks or my drivers license number etched on the boats, the police couldn't let me just take the boats despite custom details that I could point to on the boats and my photo. I ended up paying the guy two thirds of what he claimed he had paid for the kayaks or $300 ( I suspect this is what he actually paid). The main point here is that the two other boats, a light blue (teal I believe its referred to) classic scupper pro (two hatches) and a dark blue Scupper Pro TW both evidently came from the same source. Feel free to e-mail me for more info. Thanks again to Sea Trek Kayaks, the staff at Clipper yacht harbor, the Sausalito PD, the Rancho Cordova PD and the Barbary Coast Divers.