1999 Yamaha 250

Hello people, my name is Mark..thanks in advance for your help. I am puchasing a boat with twin '99 250's on it. 1 engine runs fine the other engine keeps stalling. These engines have 700 hours on them, is that a lot of hours? How long can an outboard last? I haven't looked into the stalling yet. I am not a mechanic but I am mechanically inclined(built my own race car) I have to assume the stalling must be either fuel or ignition( I know...what else could it be) where should I start?

[boats.net]

Start with a compression test. If carb model then clean carbs, check fuel pumps.

[bigfish1229]

700 hours is a high number however every engine is different, my 98 200's have over 4000 on them but i also have a 225 vmax the only lasts about 500 hours so you can see the difference there. deffintely start with a comp check though, as well as pressure test the gear cases also note the sounds of the engines and keep in your mind what a healthy 250 sounds like.