diff --git a/router/crypto.go b/router/crypto.go
index 0ca7f846..9d9f4d34 100644
--- a/router/crypto.go
+++ b/router/crypto.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/gob"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/andybalholm/go-bit"
@@ -336,6 +337,10 @@ type GobTCPSender struct {
 	encoder *gob.Encoder
 }
 
+type LengthPrefixTCPSender struct {
+	writer io.Writer
+}
+
 type EncryptedTCPSender struct {
 	sync.RWMutex
 	sender TCPSender
@@ -350,6 +355,21 @@ func (sender *GobTCPSender) Send(msg []byte) error {
 	return sender.encoder.Encode(msg)
 }
 
+func NewLengthPrefixTCPSender(writer io.Writer) *LengthPrefixTCPSender {
+	return &LengthPrefixTCPSender{writer: writer}
+}
+
+func (sender *LengthPrefixTCPSender) Send(msg []byte) error {
+	l := len(msg)
+	// We copy the message so we can send it in a single Write
+	// operation, thus making this thread-safe without locking.
+	prefixedMsg := make([]byte, 4+l)
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(prefixedMsg, uint32(l))
+	copy(prefixedMsg[4:], msg)
+	_, err := sender.writer.Write(prefixedMsg)
+	return err
+}
+
 func NewEncryptedTCPSender(sender TCPSender, sessionKey *[32]byte, outbound bool) *EncryptedTCPSender {
 	return &EncryptedTCPSender{sender: sender, state: NewTCPCryptoState(sessionKey, outbound)}
 }
@@ -370,6 +390,10 @@ type GobTCPReceiver struct {
 	decoder *gob.Decoder
 }
 
+type LengthPrefixTCPReceiver struct {
+	reader io.Reader
+}
+
 type EncryptedTCPReceiver struct {
 	receiver TCPReceiver
 	state    *TCPCryptoState
@@ -385,6 +409,21 @@ func (receiver *GobTCPReceiver) Receive() ([]byte, error) {
 	return msg, err
 }
 
+func NewLengthPrefixTCPReceiver(reader io.Reader) *LengthPrefixTCPReceiver {
+	return &LengthPrefixTCPReceiver{reader: reader}
+}
+
+func (receiver *LengthPrefixTCPReceiver) Receive() ([]byte, error) {
+	lenPrefix := make([]byte, 4)
+	if _, err := io.ReadFull(receiver.reader, lenPrefix); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	l := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(lenPrefix)
+	msg := make([]byte, l)
+	_, err := io.ReadFull(receiver.reader, msg)
+	return msg, err
+}
+
 func NewEncryptedTCPReceiver(receiver TCPReceiver, sessionKey *[32]byte, outbound bool) *EncryptedTCPReceiver {
 	return &EncryptedTCPReceiver{receiver: receiver, state: NewTCPCryptoState(sessionKey, !outbound)}
 }
diff --git a/router/protocol.go b/router/protocol.go
index 500d0d61..8b5252d1 100644
--- a/router/protocol.go
+++ b/router/protocol.go
@@ -228,12 +228,11 @@ func filterV1Features(intro map[string]string) map[string]string {
 // - When the connection is encrypted, 32 bytes follow containing the
 // public key.
 //
-// - Then a stream of gobified values.
+// - Then a stream of length-prefixed messages, which are encrypted
+// for an encrypted connection.
 //
-// The gobified values are the messages on the connection (encrypted
-// for an encrypted connection).  The first message contains the
-// encoded features map (so in contrast to V1, it will be encrypted on
-// an encrypted connection).
+// The first message contains the encoded features map (so in contrast
+// to V1, it will be encrypted on an encrypted connection).
 func (res *ProtocolIntroResults) doIntroV2(params ProtocolIntroParams, pubKey, privKey *[32]byte) error {
 	// Public key exchange
 	var wbuf []byte
@@ -266,8 +265,8 @@ func (res *ProtocolIntroResults) doIntroV2(params ProtocolIntroParams, pubKey, p
 			return ErrExpectedCrypto
 		}
 
-		res.Sender = NewGobTCPSender(gob.NewEncoder(params.Conn))
-		res.Receiver = NewGobTCPReceiver(gob.NewDecoder(params.Conn))
+		res.Sender = NewLengthPrefixTCPSender(params.Conn)
+		res.Receiver = NewLengthPrefixTCPReceiver(params.Conn)
 
 	case 1:
 		if pubKey == nil {
@@ -279,8 +278,8 @@ func (res *ProtocolIntroResults) doIntroV2(params ProtocolIntroParams, pubKey, p
 			return err
 		}
 
-		res.Sender = NewGobTCPSender(gob.NewEncoder(params.Conn))
-		res.Receiver = NewGobTCPReceiver(gob.NewDecoder(params.Conn))
+		res.Sender = NewLengthPrefixTCPSender(params.Conn)
+		res.Receiver = NewLengthPrefixTCPReceiver(params.Conn)
 		res.setupCrypto(params, rbuf, privKey)
 
 	default: