Just putting some things together and I am curious whether everyone uses a gasket sealer or not. I usually just bolt up things like water pump and thermostat housing with just the factory gasket.

Trying to avoid leaks and I have not really had the best of luck with using permatex

on the things u mentioned ( sealer ) try Coppercoat

i do a smear cote with the right stuff,no leaks.

A smear of RTV on both sides unless you know all your mating surfaces are perfect.

RTV is great for certain applications, but lately I have been using more semi permanent type sealers that dont fully harden like rtv does. Less chance for contamination during part swaps, and I like the idea of a sealer being able to conform to any retorques, shifting, etc.

Ok, so what type of semi permanent sealer are you making reference to?

The Right Stuff is the Devils snot!
The Right Stuff is what you want. A little less aggressive for easier removal and what I like to use some times is Ultra Black. I have had intakes that were a pain in the A$$ to remove that were Right Stuffed, but I guess that is not a bad thing.

i use permatex RTV black for the intercooler\supercharger seal (no gasket), thermostat housing, water pump crossover get merc perfect seal. works well.

rite stuff on intake front and back but ultra seal on gasket surface and the bolts..you only need a vary thin coat applyed with your finger..