Replacing a tower

[nautiques4life]

2012 230 original FCT5
I'm sure some of you have replaced or upgraded towers, and I'm looking for any insights or experiences you'd be willing to share.

My tower is now approaching 15 years old, it shakes more than it used to, has some cosmetic issues, one cable inside has snapped (non-issue for us as we've only folded it down one time since we purchased it), makes noises, the handle doesn't always stay locked, and now, one of the tri-lobe locks has basically become stripped. Debating re threading the tri-lobe and putting in a bigger bolt, but wondering if at ~15 years I'm heading down a bad path?
Anyone with experience replaced their tower for a fresh one?
Is this a universal bolt/mounting system? Would a newer model tower work or require significant work/modifications?
Is there a life expectancy on towers? (Never owned a boat this long, but the rest of the boat is still a great fit for our family, no other issues and used boat prices still scare me).
Would anyone have a lead on a FCT5- I'm sure it is a long shot, needle in a haystack situation, but if anyone knows of one getting dusty in the back of a shop somewhere, planetnautique seems like they'd know about it...

thanks in advance for any insight

[bturner]

I've only installed 2 towers over the years and both were 4 post towers that were installed in the late 90's when wakeboarding was blossoming. The process while challenging from an access perspective was straight forward and rather simple. Retro fitting a 2 post tower may be more involved depending on if the mounting holes are significantly different.

Unless as you state you're able to find a new tower from a dealer at a good price, typically factory towers are incredibly and prohibitably expensive to consider unless it's an insurance claim. I do remembered seeing one for sale on FBMP about a month or so ago and searched for it again this morning. Here's the picture and link to it. It was damaged but it may be something that could be repaired. For the money they're asking and the time it's been sitting I bet an offer for a grand or so would take it. That is if can actually be repaired, it would fit or could be modified to fit.

The other thing you could do is call Roswell and see what solutions they can offer. I don't know about towers but they were really helpful when I had to find parts for my Bimini top.

https://store.roswellmarine.com/coll...towers-biminis

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1433784768429219?referral_code=null&referral_story _type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A7a3ea7bb-d2fa-449e-9b83-786f2a76307f