Man built floating suit made out of over 1,000 corks

By Barney Riley via SWNS

A man has spent three years and more than 130 hours building a floating suit made from 1,150 CORKS.

Kerry Haulotte, 64, from Chicago, crafted the bizarre suit in total secrecy until it was ready for its maiden voyage where "it performed flawlessly and has been going ever since."

A video filmed by Kerry's stepdaughter Haley Buntrock shows the suit's debut in Lake Michigan.

Friends and family can be seeing trying on the cork suit and floating in the water during a fun day out.

The viral video garnered 3 million views and nearly 500,000 likes.

"[The suit] was really just meant to be a silly gag for the family to have fun with during boat outings," Kerry said.

"The suit contains approximately 1,150 corks with 3,450 holes drilled and it weighs 13.5 lbs."

Over the three years, the project was shrouded in secrecy due to Kerry's anxiety about the project failing.

"Other than my wife Jamie, I kept the project a secret for the entire creation time, fearing that I may not finish the project or that it would be a massive failure," he said.

"Really, other than my wife Jamie, the family never knew about it until it first debuted."

When it was finally revealed to family members, they were amazed by Kerry's creation.

"When my stepdad sent me photos of the cork suit, I was amazed," said Haley, 28.

"I immediately called him and said, 'This is the coolest thing I have ever seen!'

"I couldn’t believe he had been making this for three years, and I had no idea."

Kerry worked on the project on and off for three years and estimated to have spent up to 130 hours working on it.

"This was an 'on again' and 'off again' project that I worked on periodically for three years," he said.

"Various life events interrupted the project, including COVID.

"That's the only reason it was three years in the making.

"I did document most of my time which is in the neighborhood of 120 to 130 hours overall."

The video wasn't just a hit online, but it was a hit with friends and family.

"I admit I was afraid people would think I was absolutely nuts, and while that may be true, it turns out people really loved it," Kerry said.

"It has put a smile on the face of everyone observing and all that have floated in the suit.

"Incidentally, it has been signed and dated by everyone who has floated in it."

The online reaction has taken the family by storm with floods of praise and positive comments.

"I had a feeling it would get a reaction because, I mean, look at it; it’s incredible! But I didn’t expect it to reach millions of views," Haley said.

"What surprised me the most was how kind people have been online.

"I was worried the online community would be rude, but everyone has been hyping up my stepdad, which I absolutely love to see!

"My stepdad is one of the most humble, creative, and interesting people I know.

"I loved that I got to share his creation and him with the world.

"He deserves all the recognition, love, and support. I couldn’t have gotten a cooler stepdad."