I am trying to find out why I have some much play in my steering wheel. There seems to be about 4 inches of play side to side. I checked both out drives which are tied together with a stainless steel rod and they do not move at all. Not sure what that stainless steel rod is called. With the engines off and if I set the steering wheel at dead center where each spoke is at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions I can move the wheel to the 4 and 10 o' clock positions before I can feel any resistance on the wheel. With this condition is is very difficult to steer the boat when it is in a no wake zone. What do I need to check to see why there is so much play and is there a way to tighten up the steering wheel to remove all of this play?

Sounds like your gimbal ring or swivel pin are worn.

Not knowing what steering system you have, if it is using a steering cable system from the helm to the drives you should also check for play from the steering wheel back. Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth while you are watching the tiller arms of the drives. If the steering wheel moves and the tiller arms don't (or not much) there is excessive slop in the steering cable and/or steering head. If that's the case you should replace the steering head and cable. These wear quite a bit over time.

I do have a steering cable system that connects into my starboard motor. My steering wheel has about 2 inches of play in both clockwise and counter clockwise movement before it actually starts to turn my drive. Is there an adjustment to tighten up this excessive play or am I looking at a replacement steering system including the cable?

Some of the older morse steering heads had an adjuster nut on the steering shaft on the back side of the head. This could take some of the slop out but when one has the kind of play yours does it's usually time for new gear.

I will check the back side for the nut but it looks like I will be replacing the unit over the off season coming up.

I had a similar problem with a cable helm. I ripped it out and replaced it with a full hydraulic system. So much better than the cable, easier to turn, almost zero play.

also check cable where it attaches to the steering actuator at the transom. mine had been changed and the alum threads galled and locked up so goofball doing install didn't realize there was a buncha play at end of steering cable. i had to unscrew nut (forcefully) and clean up threads and reinstall. took out most of the play on an old twin nova i had.

It may be as simple as the fact that cables stretch. If the drives are tight then it's not pins and bushings. I would replace the cable and helm. It's only a few hundred dollars and better than breaking a cable at WOT!!!

That is what is being done.