diff --git a/quickfixj-core/src/main/java/quickfix/mina/message/FIXMessageEncoder.java b/quickfixj-core/src/main/java/quickfix/mina/message/FIXMessageEncoder.java
index d3fe41e2c0..d3654966cd 100644
--- a/quickfixj-core/src/main/java/quickfix/mina/message/FIXMessageEncoder.java
+++ b/quickfixj-core/src/main/java/quickfix/mina/message/FIXMessageEncoder.java
@@ -19,20 +19,29 @@
 
 package quickfix.mina.message;
 
-import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
-import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.HashSet;
-import java.util.Set;
-
+import org.apache.mina.core.buffer.AbstractIoBuffer;
 import org.apache.mina.core.buffer.IoBuffer;
+import org.apache.mina.core.buffer.IoBufferAllocator;
 import org.apache.mina.core.session.IoSession;
 import org.apache.mina.filter.codec.ProtocolCodecException;
 import org.apache.mina.filter.codec.ProtocolEncoderOutput;
 import org.apache.mina.filter.codec.demux.MessageEncoder;
 import org.quickfixj.CharsetSupport;
-
 import quickfix.Message;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.nio.ByteOrder;
+import java.nio.CharBuffer;
+import java.nio.charset.Charset;
+import java.nio.charset.CharsetEncoder;
+import java.nio.charset.CoderResult;
+import java.nio.charset.CodingErrorAction;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
+
 /**
  * Encodes a Message object or message string as a byte array to be
  * transmitted on MINA connection.
@@ -40,7 +49,6 @@
 public class FIXMessageEncoder implements MessageEncoder<Object> {
 
     private static final Set<Class<?>> TYPES;
-    private final String charsetEncoding;
 
     static {
         Set<Class<?>> types = new HashSet<Class<?>>();
@@ -49,36 +57,201 @@ public class FIXMessageEncoder implements MessageEncoder<Object> {
         TYPES = Collections.unmodifiableSet(types);
     }
 
-    public FIXMessageEncoder() {
-        charsetEncoding = CharsetSupport.getCharset();
-    }
-
     public static Set<Class<?>> getMessageTypes() {
         return TYPES;
     }
 
-    public void encode(IoSession session, Object message, ProtocolEncoderOutput out)
-            throws ProtocolCodecException {
-        String fixMessageString;
-        if (message instanceof String) {
-            fixMessageString = (String) message;
-        } else if (message instanceof Message) {
-            fixMessageString = message.toString();
+    private static final int DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE = 8192;
+    private static final int MAX_BUFFERS_BY_THREAD = 16;
+
+    protected static final class ThreadEncoder {
+        private final ThreadBufferAllocator allocator = new ThreadBufferAllocator();
+        private final CharsetEncoder charsetEncoder;
+
+        private ThreadEncoder(Charset charset) {
+            charsetEncoder = charset.newEncoder()
+                    .onMalformedInput(CodingErrorAction.REPLACE)
+                    .onUnmappableCharacter(CodingErrorAction.REPLACE);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private final Charset charset;
+
+    private final ThreadLocal<ThreadEncoder> encoders = new ThreadLocal<ThreadEncoder>() {
+        @Override
+        protected ThreadEncoder initialValue() {
+            return new ThreadEncoder(charset);
+        }
+    };
+
+    public FIXMessageEncoder() {
+        String charsetName = CharsetSupport.getCharset();
+        try {
+            charset = Charset.forName(null != charsetName ? charsetName : "ISO-8859-1");
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            throw new RuntimeException(new UnsupportedEncodingException(charsetName));
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void encode(IoSession session, Object message, ProtocolEncoderOutput out) throws ProtocolCodecException {
+        String text = message.toString();
+        if(text.length() > DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE) {
+            sendWrapMessage(text, out);
         } else {
-            throw new ProtocolCodecException("Invalid FIX message object type: "
-                    + message.getClass());
+            ThreadEncoder threadEncoder = encoders.get();
+            IoBuffer ioBuffer = threadEncoder.allocator.getBuffer();
+            try {
+                encodeBytes(text, ioBuffer, threadEncoder.charsetEncoder);
+            } catch(ProtocolCodecException pce) {
+                try { // possible buffer overflow
+                    ioBuffer.free();
+                    ioBuffer = IoBuffer.wrap(text.getBytes(threadEncoder.charsetEncoder.charset()));
+                } catch(Exception e) {
+                    throw new ProtocolCodecException(e);
+                }
+            }
+            out.write(ioBuffer.flip());
         }
+    }
 
-        byte[] bytes;
+    private void sendWrapMessage(String message, ProtocolEncoderOutput out) throws ProtocolCodecException {
         try {
-            bytes = fixMessageString.getBytes(charsetEncoding);
-        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
+            out.write(IoBuffer.wrap(message.getBytes(charset)));
+        } catch (Exception e) {
             throw new ProtocolCodecException(e);
         }
+    }
+
+    private static final ProtocolCodecException overflowCodecException = new ProtocolCodecException("OVERFLOW");
 
-        IoBuffer buffer = IoBuffer.allocate(bytes.length);
-        buffer.put(bytes);
-        buffer.flip();
-        out.write(buffer);
+    private void encodeBytes(String message, IoBuffer output, CharsetEncoder charsetEncoder) throws ProtocolCodecException {
+        if(message.length() > 0) try {
+            CoderResult cr = charsetEncoder.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(message), output.buf(), true);
+            if(!cr.isUnderflow())
+                throw overflowCodecException;
+            cr = charsetEncoder.flush(output.buf());
+            if(!cr.isUnderflow())
+                throw overflowCodecException;
+        } finally {
+            charsetEncoder.reset();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static final class ThreadBufferAllocator implements IoBufferAllocator {
+
+        private final ArrayList<IoBuffer> ioBuffers = new ArrayList<IoBuffer>();
+
+        private ThreadBufferAllocator() {
+            for(int i = 0; i < MAX_BUFFERS_BY_THREAD; i++) {
+                ioBuffers.add(allocate(DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE, true, true));
+            }
+        }
+
+        private IoBuffer getBuffer() {
+            synchronized(ioBuffers) {
+                if(!ioBuffers.isEmpty())
+                    return ioBuffers.remove(ioBuffers.size() - 1);
+            }
+            return allocate(DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE, true);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public IoBuffer allocate(int capacity, boolean direct) {
+            return allocate(capacity, direct, false);
+        }
+
+        private IoBuffer allocate(int capacity, boolean direct, boolean reuse) {
+            return wrap(allocateNioBuffer(capacity, direct), reuse);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public ByteBuffer allocateNioBuffer(int capacity, boolean direct) {
+            return direct ? ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(capacity) : ByteBuffer.allocate(capacity);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public IoBuffer wrap(ByteBuffer nioBuffer) {
+            return wrap(nioBuffer, false);
+        }
+
+        private IoBuffer wrap(ByteBuffer nioBuffer, boolean reuse) {
+            return new SimpleBuffer(this, nioBuffer, reuse);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void dispose() {
+            synchronized (ioBuffers) {
+                ioBuffers.clear();
+            }
+        }
+
+        private final class SimpleBuffer extends AbstractIoBuffer {
+            private ByteBuffer buf;
+            private final boolean recycle;
+
+            protected SimpleBuffer(ThreadBufferAllocator allocator, ByteBuffer buf, boolean recycle) {
+                super(allocator, buf.capacity());
+                this.buf = buf;
+                this.recycle = recycle;
+                buf.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+            }
+
+            protected SimpleBuffer(SimpleBuffer parent, ByteBuffer buf) {
+                super(parent);
+                this.buf = buf;
+                recycle = false;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public ByteBuffer buf() {
+                return buf;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected void buf(ByteBuffer buf) {
+                this.buf = buf;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected IoBuffer duplicate0() {
+                return new SimpleBuffer(this, this.buf.duplicate());
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected IoBuffer slice0() {
+                return new SimpleBuffer(this, this.buf.slice());
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected IoBuffer asReadOnlyBuffer0() {
+                return new SimpleBuffer(this, this.buf.asReadOnlyBuffer());
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public byte[] array() {
+                return buf.array();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public int arrayOffset() {
+                return buf.arrayOffset();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean hasArray() {
+                return buf.hasArray();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void free() {
+                clear();
+                if(recycle) {
+                    synchronized (ioBuffers) {
+                        ioBuffers.add(this);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 }