diff --git a/core/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/entity/NetworkMessage.java b/core/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/entity/NetworkMessage.java
index e549101..f27384e 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/entity/NetworkMessage.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/entity/NetworkMessage.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ package ch.dissem.bitmessage.entity;
 import ch.dissem.bitmessage.exception.ApplicationException;
 import ch.dissem.bitmessage.utils.Encode;
 
-import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
@@ -93,8 +92,31 @@ public class NetworkMessage implements Streamable {
         out.write(payloadBytes);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A more efficient implementation of the write method, writing header data to the provided buffer and returning
+     * a new buffer containing the payload.
+     *
+     * @param headerBuffer where the header data is written to (24 bytes)
+     * @return a buffer containing the payload, ready to be read.
+     */
+    public ByteBuffer writeHeaderAndGetPayloadBuffer(ByteBuffer headerBuffer) {
+        return ByteBuffer.wrap(writeHeader(headerBuffer));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * For improved memory efficiency, you should use {@link #writeHeaderAndGetPayloadBuffer(ByteBuffer)}
+     * and write the header buffer as well as the returned payload buffer into the channel.
+     *
+     * @param buffer where everything gets written to. Needs to be large enough for the whole message
+     *               to be written.
+     */
     @Override
-    public void write(ByteBuffer out) {
+    public void write(ByteBuffer buffer) {
+        byte[] payloadBytes = writeHeader(buffer);
+        buffer.put(payloadBytes);
+    }
+
+    private byte[] writeHeader(ByteBuffer out) {
         // magic
         Encode.int32(MAGIC, out);
 
@@ -124,6 +146,6 @@ public class NetworkMessage implements Streamable {
         }
 
         // message payload
-        out.put(payloadBytes);
+        return payloadBytes;
     }
 }
diff --git a/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/ConnectionInfo.java b/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/ConnectionInfo.java
index ed0462d..647bc2c 100644
--- a/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/ConnectionInfo.java
+++ b/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/ConnectionInfo.java
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ import java.util.Set;
 
 import static ch.dissem.bitmessage.networking.AbstractConnection.Mode.CLIENT;
 import static ch.dissem.bitmessage.networking.AbstractConnection.Mode.SYNC;
-import static ch.dissem.bitmessage.ports.NetworkHandler.MAX_MESSAGE_SIZE;
 
 /**
  * Represents the current state of a connection.
  */
 public class ConnectionInfo extends AbstractConnection {
-    private ByteBuffer out = ByteBuffer.allocate(MAX_MESSAGE_SIZE);
+    private final ByteBuffer headerOut = ByteBuffer.allocate(24);
+    private ByteBuffer payloadOut;
     private V3MessageReader reader = new V3MessageReader();
     private boolean syncFinished;
     private long lastUpdate = Long.MAX_VALUE;
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class ConnectionInfo extends AbstractConnection {
                           NetworkAddress node, NetworkHandler.MessageListener listener,
                           Set<InventoryVector> commonRequestedObjects, long syncTimeout) {
         super(context, mode, node, listener, commonRequestedObjects, syncTimeout);
-        out.flip();
+        headerOut.flip();
         if (mode == CLIENT || mode == SYNC) {
             send(new Version.Builder().defaults(peerNonce).addrFrom(host).addrRecv(node).build());
         }
@@ -76,17 +76,23 @@ public class ConnectionInfo extends AbstractConnection {
     }
 
     public void updateWriter() {
-        if ((out == null || !out.hasRemaining()) && !sendingQueue.isEmpty()) {
-            out.clear();
+        if (!headerOut.hasRemaining() && !sendingQueue.isEmpty()) {
+            headerOut.clear();
             MessagePayload payload = sendingQueue.poll();
-            new NetworkMessage(payload).write(out);
-            out.flip();
+            payloadOut = new NetworkMessage(payload).writeHeaderAndGetPayloadBuffer(headerOut);
+            headerOut.flip();
             lastUpdate = System.currentTimeMillis();
         }
     }
 
-    public ByteBuffer getOutBuffer() {
-        return out;
+    public ByteBuffer[] getOutBuffers() {
+        return new ByteBuffer[]{headerOut, payloadOut};
+    }
+
+    public void cleanupBuffers() {
+        if (payloadOut != null && !payloadOut.hasRemaining()) {
+            payloadOut = null;
+        }
     }
 
     public void updateReader() {
diff --git a/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/NioNetworkHandler.java b/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/NioNetworkHandler.java
index 7ccea71..069662b 100644
--- a/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/NioNetworkHandler.java
+++ b/networking/src/main/java/ch/dissem/bitmessage/networking/nio/NioNetworkHandler.java
@@ -36,10 +36,7 @@ import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.nio.channels.*;
 import java.util.*;
-import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
-import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
-import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
-import java.util.concurrent.Future;
+import java.util.concurrent.*;
 
 import static ch.dissem.bitmessage.networking.AbstractConnection.Mode.*;
 import static ch.dissem.bitmessage.networking.AbstractConnection.State.ACTIVE;
@@ -66,7 +63,7 @@ public class NioNetworkHandler implements NetworkHandler, InternalContext.Contex
     private InternalContext ctx;
     private Selector selector;
     private ServerSocketChannel serverChannel;
-    private Map<ConnectionInfo, SelectionKey> connections = synchronizedMap(new WeakHashMap<ConnectionInfo, SelectionKey>());
+    private Map<ConnectionInfo, SelectionKey> connections = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     private int requestedObjectsCount;
 
     private Thread starter;
@@ -81,13 +78,11 @@ public class NioNetworkHandler implements NetworkHandler, InternalContext.Contex
                     ConnectionInfo connection = new ConnectionInfo(ctx, SYNC,
                         new NetworkAddress.Builder().ip(server).port(port).stream(1).build(),
                         listener, new HashSet<InventoryVector>(), timeoutInSeconds);
-                    connections.put(connection, null);
                     while (channel.isConnected() && !connection.isSyncFinished()) {
                         write(channel, connection);
                         read(channel, connection);
                         Thread.sleep(10);
                     }
-                    connections.remove(connection);
                     LOG.info("Synchronization finished");
                 }
                 return null;
@@ -302,16 +297,21 @@ public class NioNetworkHandler implements NetworkHandler, InternalContext.Contex
 
     private static void write(SocketChannel channel, ConnectionInfo connection)
         throws IOException {
-        writeBuffer(connection.getOutBuffer(), channel);
+        writeBuffer(connection.getOutBuffers(), channel);
 
         connection.updateWriter();
 
-        writeBuffer(connection.getOutBuffer(), channel);
+        writeBuffer(connection.getOutBuffers(), channel);
+        connection.cleanupBuffers();
     }
 
-    private static void writeBuffer(ByteBuffer buffer, SocketChannel channel) throws IOException {
-        if (buffer != null && buffer.hasRemaining()) {
-            channel.write(buffer);
+    private static void writeBuffer(ByteBuffer[] buffers, SocketChannel channel) throws IOException {
+        if (buffers[1] == null) {
+            if (buffers[0].hasRemaining()) {
+                channel.write(buffers[0]);
+            }
+        } else if (buffers[1].hasRemaining() || buffers[0].hasRemaining()) {
+            channel.write(buffers);
         }
     }