The City of New Haven has completed the development of a public waterfront recreation center – the Boathouse at Canal Dock - on New Haven Harbor north of and adjacent to Long Wharf Pier. This facility provides a venue for water-dependent recreation and education, public access to the water for boating and viewing, and indoor and outdoor spaces for community activities focused on the harbor.

Central to the overall purpose of this facility was saving architecturally significant elements of the historic Yale Boathouse (formerly located at 74 Forbes Avenue) which was demolished by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to make way for the new Quinnipiac Bridge/I-95 crossing. The DOT provided state and federal funding for the construction of a replica Yale Boathouse incorporating historic architectural elements removed from the Yale Adee Boathouse prior to its demolition. The Boathouse at Canal Dock preserves these elements through reuse in interpretive displays and exhibits.

The Boathouse at Canal Dock provides boat storage and boating support facilities, educational exhibits, classrooms, and program and event space. The Boathouse is located on a pile-supported deck that provides outdoor circulation and gathering space. A reconstructed Canal Dock with a floating dock provides harbor entry for rowing shells and other small vessels. Additional docks are planned for the future.

The location of the Boathouse at Canal Dock ties together a number of other recreational facilities and opportunities. Adjacent Long Wharf Pier can accommodate larger boats and ships, with a channel dredged to a depth of 25 feet. It is the home port pier for the educational schooners Amistad and Quinnipiack. In addition, the Farmington Canal Greenway will begin at Canal Dock and link the waterfront to central New Haven and the towns to the north. When completed, the Greenway will stretch from New Haven Harbor to Northampton, Massachusetts. Directly south of Canal Dock and Long Wharf lies Long Wharf Veterans Memorial Park, a half-mile of public park, joined at its southern end to the New Haven Land Trust preserve.