While I know they were quite powerful during certain parts of this time frame I'm having a conversation with my friend who contends that they were THE world/European power during certain fragments of this period.
I think part of the problem with this question is that there are multiple kinds of power.
The Dutch Republic was a small country in terms of size. Even at its height, the Dutch army was never comparable to the likes of the Imperial, Spanish, or the French armies. The dutch were able to gain their independence only after a long, drawn out war that they won through a combination of luck, tenacity, and foreign assistance/non-intervention on the side of Spain.
However, the Dutch during this period were certainly extremely powerful in other ways. The creation of a capitalist system, a well educated and relatively homogenous population, and large cities and ports allowed the Dutch to become a 'Great Power' in terms of trading, naval forces, and political influence in Europe.
I would not consider the Dutch to be 'THE' world power during this time, but they were certainly one of them, and overshadowed the English several times in this period. In addition, I would peg the end of the Dutch era of power much earlier on. by 1720, the Dutch economy was stagnating, ironically, due to the Dutch having put William III on the throne of England, making England the place where many dutch merchant groups moved to.
Not a full answer, but according to this source, at the peak of their power in the mid-17th century (c. 1670), "about ten per cent of Dutch adult males were sailors; - the Dutch had more ships than England, France, Germany, Portugal, Scotland, and Spain combined."