What is the purpose of spreader boots (the padding fitted at spreader tips), and what problem can occur if they're missing or damaged?

A. Spreader boots are purely decorative and serve no functional purpose

B. Spreader boots pad and cover the spreader tip where the shroud passes over or near it, preventing the shroud (or a sail, in certain trim) from chafing directly against a hard or sharp edge — missing or perished boots can allow real, ongoing chafe damage to develop at a point that's otherwise hard to inspect closely without going aloft

C. Spreader boots are required only on multihulls, never on monohull sailing yachts

D. Spreader boots prevent corrosion but have no relationship to chafe

A. Standing rigging never needs visual inspection between full professional rig surveys

B. A visual and hands-on check running your hand along each wire and swage fitting, feeling for broken strands ("meat hooks") that can snag skin or clothing, and looking closely at swage terminals and clevis pins for cracking, corrosion, or bending — done regularly, this catches many developing problems well before a full professional rig check

C. Rigging checks are only relevant immediately before an ocean passage, never for coastal sailing

D. Standing rigging is designed to never show any visible sign of wear before failure

A. Chafe only ever occurs on rigging over 10 years old

B. Chafe often occurs at specific repeated contact points — through a block, over a spreader tip, at a clutch or jammer — and can progressively weaken a line internally or in a way that isn't obvious from a casual glance at the visible outer sheath, so checking the specific high-wear points (not just the general condition of the line) matters

C. Modern synthetic line materials are entirely immune to chafe damage

D. Chafe is a cosmetic issue only, with no effect on a line's working strength