Starter Going Out?

I was out tonight and ready for my next run and the boat did not start. I could hear the starter and it sounded like the gear was not engaging the fly wheel. We did not crank it for more that a second or two but the end of the little cilinder on the top of the starter got red hot for a second when we turned the key. It sounded alot quieter than I would expect if it was just the engaging gear deal spinning. I tried hitting it but not really hard and couldn't get it to do any thing. Just wonder your guys thoughts and where I could get a replacement starter or do they usually rebuild those. I checked out skidim.com but did not see any starters. Also what will I expect for a price to get going again. The engine is a PCM 351. Thanks