Dave,
Glad you are (port) sorted.
I allways put an ICSP header in. If PortB.6 or b.7 are inputs you need to put a 1K-ish resistor in series and ICSP connections go directly to the PIC, that way you can overdrive the attached components.
For some older designs that do not have ICSP, I have a jig to insert between the socket and the PIC with the ICSP connections made to the jig.

I am also trying to implement a bootloader and was only aware of the Microchip one. Keep me posted should you have any success.
Tim.