Originally Posted by Chaosheavens
Yes I assumed as much I was just wondering if there was a difference being that I do prefer some ships to others but question answered so if possible could a mod lock this?
General rule of thumb, keep your sailors no more than 9 levels below the ship level and no more than 23 above it to maintain a 90% exp gain.
That said certain exceptions can be made depending on ships. One prime example I've seen through experience and talking to others is the L2. If you can do dramatically better in the L2 than the L1 with an extra support slot, it may be worth sacrificing 5-10% because of level difference.