How do you correctly align the tiller?

My boat came from Hobie with no documentation (viewtopic.php?f=71&t=38359&start=0), so I don't know if there is a fix for this.

Both my tillers are out of whack, but the rear one is splayed out to the port side, while the rudder is straight. Neither will turn the tiller to port, it will only go about an inch past center. It does turn fully to starboard. There is a cap on top of the tiller, but I don't know if that comes off and I don't want to start prying on it. Does it come off? Is there a screw inside that lets me re-orient the tiller? Hobie closed early Friday, so I wasn't able to ask them these questions.

Madwand :
I am assuming your dealer is not close by, most of the stuff your are discussing is typically handled by the Hobie dealer (ie.. questions, small adjustments, etc). The dealer I purchased from (Economy Tackle in Sarasota Florida) was very knowlegable and helpful. To fix the steering it helps to have a light, and a webcam or video camera that you can look inside the hull with. I hooked my webcam to my laptop and scouted around inside the hull to double check and understand how everything was rigged (there are a few posts on this forum showing inside the hull pics). It's actually pretty simple. The handles have a T shaped bar inside the hull that are connected to each other with spectra line, these two lines are typically pretty trouble free, however it is possible for one of the lines to get caught up in the flotation foam or other objects inside the hull. It's good to just look around in there to see what is causing the problem (little things like this are normally fixed by the dealer when they are close by).
Most adjustments to the rudder can be done back at the rudder. One thing I have noticed is the boat grows in length quite a bit when it gets warm, and shrinks when colder, this effects the tension on the steering, and sometimes needs to be adjusted depending on the weather. To adjust the tension on the steering (after checking inside to make sure nothing is hanging up) what I do is straighten the tillers (if they aren't exactly parallel try and come up with a happy medium) then walk to the back of the boat and feel the tension on the steering control lines, if they are loose then they need to be tightened. There are phillips screws on the rudder holding the line in place, what I do is loosen the screws and pull the appropriate line (or both if needed). This is a periodic adjustment that needs to be done once in a while, I think depending on the outside temp, and other factors. The first couple months I had my boat it seemed I had to adjust the tension several times until everything settled in, thereafter it seems to be pretty consistant, and seldom needs adjustment.

Before going inside the hull, I recommend trying to adjust with just the tension screws on the rudder (most likely where the problem is). If both tiller handles aren't exactly straight when you are done it's not a big deal as long as you can turn the rudder full left to full right from either knob. When sailing you never look down at the knobs anyway, at least in my case, I steer by watching the direction I want to go, and just adjust the rudder as needed (you quickly get the feel for it, and it becomes second nature).
The rudder lines are probably the only periodic adjustment you need to make on the boat, so it's a good idea to just double check them once in a while before going out. If you rinse everything off after each outing and try to store everything dry, everything will last for many years. A little WD 40 on all the joints on the mirage drive after each outing also helps keep everything in good working order.
Hope this helps.
Bob

Got it! I'll give the adjustment screws some work.