Hi Matt,
Yep a 10" Dob is definitely an option. I think I would have to go collapsible to keep the size down a bit and a Skywatcher 10" is around the $800 which seems quite reasonable.
And thanks Brian,
120mm ED might be stretching the budget and I haven't found a price for the OTA by itself but I am guessing around the $1800 mark. I think the Skywatcher ones are about $2200 so a $400 saving for a similar beastie sounds good. Not tax time though. Wifey has decreed that tax refunds are going into the house. I am offloading some free shares and wifey says I can spend the lot if I want
I have also been thinking about the 8" GSO RC astrographs, a few short reviews I have read suggest they are quite reasonable for the money at around $800.
cheers