RCC, when I load my boat, I always after shutting the motor down, put the motor in gear. I do that because someone once told me that if the motor is in neutral, the prop will spin and end up causing issues. Not sure that would be the case, but none the less, I always put my motors in gear to stop prop spin. I guess now I can add "accidental motor starting" to the list of things being in gear will prevent.

Glad it worked out for you with nothing more than a water pump