Not futile at all, Dan!
On the contrary, a scope like yours, by keeping the magnification down as low as practical, nebulae are excellent targets.
The trick is patience. Be patient with your scope and be patient with your eyes.
With the Milky Way high up over us for the next few months, there's plenty of nebulosity to discover. Sure it won't be a large mage, but it will be small and precious. Galaxies are feasible too, but only as smal, soft faint fuzzies. And don't forget open and globular clusters.
* As far as nebulae go, there is M42 in Orion.
* There is masses of dark nebulosity that riddles the Milky Way itself, which is purely the domain for a small scope like yours!
* There is the Eta Carina complex (big and rosette-like).
* There are MANY nebulous areas all around Eta Carina, and bucket loads of open Clusters, including the Gem, Pearl and Jewel Box clusters.
* The Coal Sack between the Southern Cross & Centaurus is a totally different proposition in your scope at low power!
* Further East as Scorpio rises, the giant open cluster M7 is criss crossed they fingers of dark nebulosity, all invisible to big scopes!
* With Sagittarius up, there is the gorgeous area around M8 and M20, and the open cluster M21 is right beside M20. This entire area is a super rich hunting ground as here lies the Cloud of Sagittarius, the densest star cloud in the sky.
* And lastly there is M16 and M17.
Globular clusters:
* Omega Centauri - your scope is very capable of resolving it. You'll need to up the magnification for this.
* 47 Tuc, a bit of a challenge at this time of year.
* M22 in Sagittarius and M4 in Scorpio.
Galaxies:
* The Small & Large Magellanic Clouds. The LMC is also riddled with nebulosity, and of course the Tarantula Nebula.
* Centaurus A (NGC 5128). You should be able to easily spot the dark lane that cuts it in half.
* Markarian's Chain! A ribblon of galaxies in Virgo.
Need more? Just ask!
Alex.