Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"The Dutch dominance of East India trade in the 17th century was a result of their maritime supremacy. The merchant ship that was operated by Dutch traders was the fluyt, a long, narrow ship with three masts, and a large amount of storage space beneath a single deck. These ships were easily and cheaply built, and could be sailed great distances without having to make landfall. In contrast, the designs of the full-rigged and multimasted English merchantmen were ungainly, their storage capacity restricted by the necessity for large crews, who protected the ships against attack and piracy." [DK Timelines, p. 301]