  We present the results of a search for optical model potentials for use in
the description of elastic scattering and transfer reactions involving stable
and radioactive p-shell nuclei. This was done in connection with our program to
use transfer reactions to obtain data for nuclear astrophysics, in particular
for the determination of the astrophysical S_17 factor for 7Be(p,\gamma)8B
using two (7Be,8B) proton transfer reactions. Elastic scattering was measured
using 7Li, 10B, 13C and 14N projectiles on 9Be and 13C targets at or about
E/A=10 MeV/nucleon. Woods-Saxon type optical model potentials were extracted
and are compared with potentials obtained from a microscopic double folding
model. We use these results to find optical model potentials for unstable
nuclei with emphasis on the reliability of the description they provide for
peripheral proton transfer reactions. We discuss the uncertainty introduced by
the procedure in the prediction of the DWBA cross sections for the (7Be,8B)
reactions used in extracting the astrophysical factor S_17(0).
