No
pancakes
Both use a levee system requiring water to fill to raise the boat to the height necessary for the next canal or in Panama to the level of sea water.
Ferdinand de Lesseps wanted to build a sea level canal -- the results were disastrous.See the related link below for more information regarding early attempts to build a Panama Canal.
In 1881 a private French company began constructing a sea-level canal in Panama. However, the project was forced to go bankrupt in 1889. In 1903 the United States helped Panama revolt against Colombian rule and declare itself an independent nation. In return, the United States was granted control of a canal zone in Panama. Construction of a canal began in 1904. The Panama Canal opened on August 15, 1914.
2.558757664866585488 Miles above sea level! :~)
The canal lifts ships up to an elevation of 25.9 meters or 85ft.
The boats have to be raised 85 feet to get to the top of the Panama Canal. It is done in three steps up and three steps down.
Panama Canal, an engineering wonder, constructed between the North & South America. Know the layout of the canal, how the ships get lifted up above the sea level for transit, the lock gates, its construction and importance in shipping industry.
Building locks to change the water level
Locks, they are needed in any canal that is not entirely level and divide it into level sections thus acting as "water elevators" for ships raising or lowering them between these sections.
Taking for an example the Panama Canal, the locks had one major purpose. They equalized the water level between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.