I mean, look at this rotating boat lift in Falkirk, Scotland:
Archimedes' principle makes this a lot easier than it seems. Both gondolas have exactly the same mass (about 600 tonnes), and they oppose each other perfectly. So rotating the wheel through only takes 22.5 kW, "about the same as boiling eight kettles of water."
The Scots invented the steam engine, so they have some engineering game.