The best way to increase your ship level is to upgrade to a better ship with a higher base level as early as you can. While unlocking new ships is restricted by Infamy Ranks, there are a few different ships you can grab early in Skull and Bones that will make conquering the seas much easier.

Sentinel

One of the best ships to grab early on is the Sentinel, a support class ship. Even if you are playing solo, this ship is a great pick-up, especially early in your adventure, thanks to its perks. The Unburden perk restores 0.5% of severe damage and Hull Health per second, which will keep you in great shape. The perk works in combat too, so you will have a steady stream of healing.

The Sentinel requires you to reach the Rover Infamy Rank and the blueprint can be purchased from the Lanitra outpost northwest of Sainte-Anne for 1,080 Silver. The required crafting materials are Bronze Ingot x6, Iroko Plank x6, and Fine Jute x12.

Blaster

The Blaster ship is a great follow-up to the Sentinel, as it provides a special perk that deals extra damage when using explosive weapons. If you deck out your Blaster with the best explosive weapons available to you, it becomes a very powerful DPS forward ship. This will let you tackle much stronger challenges fairly early in the game, giving you access to better materials and Skull and Bones items faster than normal.

The Blaster blueprint can be obtained from the Sunken Goldmine on the Coast of Africa for 4,950 Skull and Bones Silver. It requires an Infamy Rank of at least Buccaneer.

Bombardier

The last major ship you get "early" in Skull and Bones is the Bombardier. Similar to the Blaster, it excels at dealing explosive damage, with the Detonate perk providing even extra damage to explosive attacks. It has more weapons slots than the Blaster, making it an overall upgrade in terms of firepower.

The Bombardier blueprint can be purchased for 5,280 Silver from the Shipwright in Telok Penjarah, requiring an Infamy rank of at least Brigand.