In these days of economic hardships, makes no matter what you
paint on the
dinghy, etc., it will be stolen unless you have a really good system of locking it.
Paint is easy to remove or paint over. With rowing dinghies, they are usually, sort of, a
classic design and more than a few are enticed to steal it.
In the Atlantic/Caribbean basin waters even using lifeline cable does not
work very well. Stainless chain 1/4" works better. I keep about 10 ft (3 m) attached to the bow and another 3 ft (1 m) at the stern for the
motor. Of course with a rowing dinghy you don't need that one.
Finding a good place to lock it to, like a fence, tree,
dock, etc. can get very challenging. Forget beaching it unless there is something close to the
water to lock it. Which brings up the need to have a small stern
anchor to keep the dinghy from pounding on rocks or other hard stuff or being pushed by the waves and swamped.
And whatever you use, it needs to be solidly attached to the dinghy with non-removable bolts/nuts.
PadLocks are a constant problem as the "cheap" one rust and corrode quite quickly. You can get pure
stainless steel in the French islands. I haven't seen them elsewhere. Next best is the all brass (body and loop) as they don't rust/corrode as quickly as the
steel ones.
The whole process is a royal pain and the temptation to just tie it up and set off on your errands is great. That's were having a back-up dinghy on board is a good idea - but getting back to the
boat to get it can be challenging. Welcome to the brave new world. . .