The Extra-Ordrinary Equipage and reality

This is from my translation of a paragraph in Dr. Elias's book De Vlootbouw in Nederland, on pages 90 and 91:

We learned a big lesson from the sum of experience with hired and lent ships during the First Anglo-Dutch War. That lesson was the untenableness of the ancient axiom: that which one had was the backbone of the defense at sea. We had greatly overestimated our supply of suitable ships. In February 1652, a pamphlet estimated the number of ships, in the country, which could be equipped as warships was 172, and which could carry at least 24 guns. On the other hand, when the official investigation began by a couple of ship brokers from Amsterdam and North Holland that the reserve of ships of 120-144ft in length and with 24 to 50 guns was no more than 43. They also found a number of fluits that were not suited as warships. In the entire Meuse district, there was almost nothing but fluits, and those of a smaller type with a maximum length of 113ft.