I am finishing up a 14' Great Auk for my paddling partner and she asked about securing it when left un attended. We live in metro NY. The two obvious options are a trimmed hole in the deck or a carbon ring epoxied under the deck to use a cable lock.
Does anyone have any experience or clever ideas for protecting a boat from theft. I am going to put her name etc under epoxy on the inside but her feeling is that that may not be enough.

I would not be confident of a glued on loop for security. I like to have a security loop easily accessible so it's easy to use. If I stop somewhere and feel the need to lock the kayak, I know I won't use a lock if I have to struggle to reach the locking point with the kayak on the roof racks.

I mount a stainless loop behind the cockpit coaming. Large fender washers keep the loop from popping out of the deck if pulled hard and the bolt ends are hammered over so the nuts can't be removed easily. You can see the loop behind the cockpit coaming in the photo below.

I've used this system for years. I like it. It is very easy to pull out my cable and lock and secure the kayak to the permanent roof racks on my car. If you don't have permanent racks but have locked aftermarket racks that could work too.

It won't stop the determined thief with a Sikorski Skyhook and explosives, to be sure. But the impulse thief will have to tear out the deck or have big bolt cutters on hand. You could make up a decal "Car protected by Navy Seal Snipers" for added security.

I'm required to have a "HIN" (hull identification numbers) on my boats by the Coast Guard. One goes on the right, near the stern and a second one is in a hidden location. You can put hidden identification on your boat so if it is stolen, you can prove the boat is yours and the thief will not know it is there.

All the best,
Rob