Also I tried modifying the .bash_profile in my home directory so my manpath would accept a directory called ~/man ...

Did you start a new login shell?  bash will read .bash_profile only for login shells:

$ echo FOO=foo >>~/.bash_profile
$ bash
$ echo $FOO

$ exit
exit
$ bash --login
$ echo $FOO
foo
$ exit
logout
[download]

(You might also want to use ~/.bashrc which is being read for every interactive (non-login) new shell...)