I have not seen split boots around for many years .
you can suture the boot if it is a small tear . cover the stitching with bicycle puncture repair patches . this can last thousands of miles .

you do not need to remove the entire axle to replace the inner boot .
you can remove the bolts from the suspension arms . or remove the bolts holding the hub to the strut to allow enough movement to pop out the inner cv joint . this is a triple roller bearing . easy to remove .
here are photos of the joint

Attached Images