The Dory was founded as John's Marine Bar in the late 1920s. Jack Kiffer is the proud owner of the Dory, an honor he inherited from the previous owner, Dick Edwards, literally upon his death in 2002. Dick, whose father was a U.S. Steel vice president, had his family vacation on Shelter Island for years. It seems that Edwards lent Mal Neval the money to purchase the Dory from legendary owner Eddie Langbine in 1964. After a few years, Neval decided he didn't want to spend all his time at the Dory so he transferred ownership to Edwards who ran it from 1971 to 2002. Upon the death of Edwards, Kiffer took over The Dory and lovingly restored her and expanded the little bar into a roomy restaurant over the water.??