I tried posting to the Minecraft subreddit, but the post would get deleted immediately. I just want to show someone!
It’s mostly silent, minus the dispensers clicking and occasional water splash, but it’s much smoother than a flying machine, and not to terribly slow, rising at a little over 2 blocks per second. It’s a good way to transport things vertically
You can make a contained column of water with trap doors on their side (need two high) which prevents the water from escaping, soul sand underneath, and no boat needed. To come down, I made an empty column beside it with a water block at the bottom to stop fall damage.
Not as fancy as a mechanized dual-purpose elevator, but it got the job done, and it was quick and quiet.