Originally built in 1918, Dorian was a pinnace measuring 41 feet, equipped with a Gardner or Kelvin petrol engine. In 1937, Mr. Findlay purchased her from the Admiralty. He lengthened and converted the vessel into a cruising yacht intended for charter. However, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the Admiralty commandeered her once again for the duration of the conflict.

During the war, the Navy deployed Dorian to Dunkirk. Subsequently, she spent the remainder of the war anchored in Chichester Harbour. After the war, a single Scripps V8 petrol engine—a conversion of the Ford V8 engine commonly used in landing craft—was installed. The Findlay family, seeking additional safety, fitted a second engine, and both were converted to run on paraffin.

Despite possessing two masts, Dorian was not primarily a sailing vessel but was regarded as a handsome cruiser. She towed a 9-foot mahogany tender, which could also be hoisted onto the stern cabin. Her original brass binnacle and oil navigation lamps remain extant, although her compass, which exhibited a significant 14-degree deviation, was replaced after the war with a government surplus model costing 30 shillings (£1.50).

For many years, Dorian cruised extensively from the Thames, reaching as far east as Great Yarmouth in Norfolk and south through the Solent to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. She frequently crossed to France and spent holidays navigating the French canals. The Findlay family kept her on the Thames and lived aboard at Benson in Oxfordshire, visiting Oxford with their infant son secured in a playpen on deck.

In the 1960s, the vessel was sold to Ted Cattle, an electrical contractor who reorganised her electrical system, re-covered her decks, and continued her modernisation. Following his death, Dorian was last seen at Ash Island on the Thames.

Lord Soper, the late Methodist minister and President of the Methodist Conference, once used Dorian for a religious revival campaign inspired by the 'Dunkirk Spirit,' which was reported in the Sunday Times. During this campaign, she carried a large banner lashed to her guardrails bearing the message, "Jesus Saves."

After serving as a houseboat and suffering a catastrophic fire in the wheelhouse while ashore for renovation, Dorian was acquired by a new owner. She was photographed en route to Chertsey Meads for restoration.

In January 2011, Dorian was acquired by the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust. Early in May 2011, she was moved to the Trust’s new workshop in Southampton Docks for restoration. By the end of that year, the hull had been set up on blocks, stripped of all fittings, and the work of fitting new frames where necessary was well advanced.