Solver my own problem. Removed the sticker, unscrewed the phillips-head and dropped the bottom assembly out of the boat. flipped it 180 and screwed it back together. Ever curious, pulled the top off as well - seems important to make sure that the rudder lines are clear and that the re-centering bungie is in contact with the pully when reassembling the top cap.
Sadly we have whitecaps today, so not a good day for play, but glad to have this resolved. If Hobie is listening, might want to key the assembly, or at least stamp an arrow in the foot of the assembly to prevent accidental 180s like this. Because of the shape of the board, the rudder *barely* clears to insert (really needs some patience), so even determining that its flipped around is quite difficult. We looked hard at it and scratched our heads for some time. A flashlight was needed (for us) to confirm that it was definitely reversed and to install the fin.
For those curious, it doesn't perform very well flipped around
