Help with mooring situation

I am in a dillema. Here is my situation.. I have a 2003 Centurian Hurricane that we take to our cabin on the lake during the summer months (May-Sept approx.) I live in the Seattle area and we have to take the ferry over. Well, a round trip fare towing the boat is 100.00 and then some and then there is gas. Anyway, I would like to leave my boat over there during the week so it is already there when I arrive on the weekend. So here is my dillema; I thought it would be nice to have a boat lift so I looked into the option. The only dealer I could find over here is a Hewitt dealer and I priced it to be around $3200 for a basic manual lift. I really cannot justify spending that kind of cash for the little use it would get. So, I then looked at mooring whips, but I am not sure how they work. I need help to decide what option to go with. What is everyone using to moor/dock their boat. I like the lift idea if I lived there and had the boat on the water all of the time but I don't, it comes home with me during the winter months. Please help