diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/EngineMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/EngineMap.java
index facd20a1b..0c82b5070 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/EngineMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/EngineMap.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package net.openhft.chronicle.map;
 
 import net.openhft.chronicle.bytes.Bytes;
+import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.ChronicleHashInstanceBuilder;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.function.SerializableFunction;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.wire.TextWire;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.wire.Wire;
@@ -16,6 +17,8 @@ import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 
+import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.ChronicleMapBuilder.of;
+
 /**
  * Created by Rob Austin
  */
@@ -34,10 +37,19 @@ public class EngineMap<K, V> implements ChronicleMap<K, V> {
                      Class<K> kClass,
                      Class<V> vClass,
                      MapWireConnectionHub mapWireConnectionHub,
-                     Class<? extends Wire> wireType) throws IOException {
+                     Class<? extends Wire> wireType,
+                     long entries) throws IOException {
+
         this.mapWireConnectionHub = mapWireConnectionHub;
         this.wireType = wireType;
-        final BytesChronicleMap b = this.mapWireConnectionHub.acquireMap(name);
+
+
+        // todo - for the moment we will default to 100 entries per map, but this is for engine to
+        // todo decided later.
+        final ChronicleHashInstanceBuilder instance
+                = of(byte[].class, byte[].class).entries(entries).instance();
+
+        final BytesChronicleMap b = this.mapWireConnectionHub.acquireMap(name, instance);
         this.map = (Map) b.delegate;
         this.vClass = vClass;
         this.kClass = kClass;
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireConnectionHub.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireConnectionHub.java
index 2bfbd65c7..a746939b6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireConnectionHub.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireConnectionHub.java
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ public class MapWireConnectionHub implements Closeable {
         }
 
         return (short) (max + 1);
+
     }
 
     /**
@@ -81,12 +82,12 @@ public class MapWireConnectionHub implements Closeable {
      * channel
      *
      * @param fromName the name of the channel
+     * @param builder
      * @return the id associated with this name
      */
-    BytesChronicleMap acquireMap(@NotNull final String fromName) throws IOException {
-
-        // todo this is a horrible hack, it slow and NOT processor safe, but was added to get
-        // todo something working for now.
+    BytesChronicleMap acquireMap(@NotNull final String fromName,
+                                 @NotNull final ChronicleHashInstanceBuilder builder)
+            throws IOException {
 
         final Integer channelId = channelNameToId.get(fromName);
 
@@ -96,12 +97,14 @@ public class MapWireConnectionHub implements Closeable {
         final int nextFreeChannel = getNextFreeChannel();
         try {
 
-            mapFactory.get().replicatedViaChannel(hub.createChannel(nextFreeChannel)).create();
+
+            builder.replicatedViaChannel(hub.createChannel(nextFreeChannel)).create();
             channelNameToId.put(fromName, nextFreeChannel);
 
             return bytesMap(nextFreeChannel);
+
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            // todo send this error back to the user
+            // todo send this error back to the user in wire
             LOG.error("", e);
             throw e;
         }
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireHandler.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireHandler.java
index 6c3525223..892e712a5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/MapWireHandler.java
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ import static net.openhft.chronicle.engine.client.ClientWiredStatelessTcpConnect
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.engine.client.ClientWiredStatelessTcpConnectionHub.CoreFields.csp;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.engine.client.ClientWiredStatelessTcpConnectionHub.CoreFields.reply;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.engine.client.StringUtils.endsWith;
+import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.ChronicleMapBuilder.*;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.MapWireHandler.EventId.*;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.MapWireHandler.Params.*;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.wire.Wires.acquireStringBuilder;
@@ -96,7 +97,10 @@ public class MapWireHandler<K, V> implements WireHandler, Consumer<WireHandlers>
                     hash != -1 && hash < (cspText.length() - 1)) {
                 final String channelStr = cspText.substring(slash + 1, hash);
                 try {
-                    bytesChronicleMap = mapWireConnectionHub.acquireMap(channelStr);
+
+                    // todo better get the number of entries
+                    bytesChronicleMap = mapWireConnectionHub.acquireMap(channelStr,
+                            of(byte[].class, byte[].class).entries(1000).instance());
 
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     // todo send to user