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The owner of an unusual floating house in Surrey spoke to Global News about his controversial discovery.
Emilio Gilpo says his so-called “Hillbilly Houseboat” is a prototype he tested on the Nicomekl River in Surrey near Portage Park.
“I had to do what they call a ‘proof of concept,’ so I did this,” Gilpo told Global News.
“If everything goes well, it will be fixed and see how it goes.”
The houseboat is a camper trailer, placed on a makeshift barge containing 36 round containers and several steel beams.
Local residents told Global News that they witnessed the floating house being assembled and then launched into the water using a crane.
“You could use it as a recreational vehicle, or a houseboat…something like that,” Gilpo said.
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“If this is fixed, it could help the economy.”
The City of Surrey said it had alerted the boat owner earlier this month. They do issue one parking ticket if it is located on city land. The tickets were still visible on the side of the trailer on Sunday.
Now that it’s on the water, it falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Transport Canada said it would follow up with Gilpo to ensure the ship meets safety and environmental standards.
Gilpo said there was nothing dangerous about the prototype.
The barrels on the pontoon were empty and there was nothing inside except a small generator.
He added that the barge will remain in the water for several days while design modifications and improvements are made.
He couldn’t give a timeline for exactly when that would happen.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
