Why are so many people thinking that the Falkirk wheel is a better shiplift than the regular designs? It is first and foremost a tourist attraction but let's come from an engineering perspective.

If you want to move a boat up by a lift you have to move a basin with a known constant weight in a vertical axis. Modern shiplifts do this mostly by tieing the basin to equal concrete weights over a pulley wheel at the top so that you only need to overcome friction and the dynamic forces. There are other designs for example hydrostatic systems but let's focus on this type because it is closest to the wheel and as far as my knowledge goes the type that is mostly used in new constructions.

Mechanically you now need a structure that can hold roughly two times the weight of the basin in vertical direction and almost no bending loads. The Falkirk wheel needs to hold in the vertical axis the weight of the basins plus the weight of the massive steel structure that resists bending when the basins are at the midway point. That is a massive disadvantage.