Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Financial Services (Details)

v2.4.1.9
Financial Services (Details) (USD $)
 3 Months Ended
Apr. 04, 2015
Mar. 29, 2014
Dec. 31, 2014
Financial Services [Line Items]      
Percentage of ownership held by third party in joint venture 51.00%bc_PercentageOwnershipHeldByThirdPartyInJointVenture    
Amount of secured borrowing facility funded for joint venture $ 1,000,000,000bc_AmountOfSecuredBorrowingFacilityFundingForJointVenture    
Total investment of subsidiary in joint venture 17,000,000us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentAggregateCost 13,800,000us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentAggregateCost 10,800,000us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentAggregateCost
Maximum loss exposure relating to joint venture [Abstract]      
Investment 17,000,000bc_EquityInvestmentMaximumLossExposure 13,800,000bc_EquityInvestmentMaximumLossExposure 10,800,000bc_EquityInvestmentMaximumLossExposure
Maximum Loss Exposure Repurchase And Recourse Obligations 36,800,000bc_MaximumLossExposureRepurchaseAndRecourseObligations [1] 36,900,000bc_MaximumLossExposureRepurchaseAndRecourseObligations [1] 37,300,000bc_MaximumLossExposureRepurchaseAndRecourseObligations [1]
Liabilities (1,300,000)bc_MaximumLossExposureLiabilities [2] (1,200,000)bc_MaximumLossExposureLiabilities [2] (1,600,000)bc_MaximumLossExposureLiabilities [2]
Total maximum loss exposure 52,500,000us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityEntityMaximumLossExposureAmount 49,500,000us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityEntityMaximumLossExposureAmount 46,500,000us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityEntityMaximumLossExposureAmount
Amount of recorded income from joint venture investment 1,000,000bc_AmountOfRecordedIncomeLossFromJointVentureInvestment 1,100,000bc_AmountOfRecordedIncomeLossFromJointVentureInvestment  
Scenario, Previously Reported [Member]      
Maximum loss exposure relating to joint venture [Abstract]      
Maximum Loss Exposure Repurchase And Recourse Obligations   $ 51,700,000bc_MaximumLossExposureRepurchaseAndRecourseObligations
/ us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis
= us-gaap_ScenarioPreviouslyReportedMember 		 
BAC [Member]      
Financial Services [Line Items]      
Percentage of ownership held by BFS in BAC joint venture 49.00%us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentOwnershipPercentage
/ us-gaap_ScheduleOfEquityMethodInvestmentEquityMethodInvesteeNameAxis
= bc_BACMember 		   
[1] Repurchase and recourse obligations are off-balance sheet obligations provided by the Company for the Boat and Marine Engine segments, respectively, and are included within the Maximum Potential Obligations disclosed in Note 8 – Commitments and Contingencies. Repurchase and recourse obligations are mainly related to a North American repurchase agreement with GECDF and could be reduced by repurchase activity occurring under other similar agreements with GECDF and affiliates. The Company’s risk under these repurchase arrangements is partially mitigated by the value of the products repurchased as part of the transaction. Amounts above exclude any potential recoveries from the value of the repurchased product. The amount previously reported of $51.7 million as of March 29, 2014, reflects repurchase and recourse obligations under the Company's global repurchase agreement that was replaced in 2013 with the North American repurchase agreement described above.
[2] Represents accrued amounts for potential losses related to recourse exposure and the Company’s expected losses on obligations to repurchase products, after giving effect to proceeds anticipated to be received from the resale of these products to alternative dealers