Thanks Gary and Marc. I don't smoke, hardly ever drink and have a very understanding wife.
I take your point - it seems that after days of research - just as well I'm on leave - I've come to the same conclusion. The mount is everything.
What do you think of the Kenko Skymemo? It costs around 1k, but it's capacity is only 5kg. The tracking performance is reputed to be better than some Losmandy mounts (gasp). Kenko
claim accurate tracking for 70 mins at 50mm and 15 mins at 300mm. How does this compare with a G11 - and what brand would you suggest.
I like the dual camera arm.